The Game
by MidoriEyes
Summary: The guys have been turtle-napped and taken to a private island where a big game hunter is tracking them for sport. Can the four brothers find each other and escape before they become part of this lunatic's trophy collection? T for violence and language.
1. Stalkers

**AN:** Another TMNT fan fic! And this time it's a longer one than the 4-shot I did recently. :) It features a couple OC's of mine, but nothing that will alter the TMNT reality (i.e. a love interest for one of the turtles. That's NOT going to happen lol). Hopefully I'll be able to continue with this story and not get tired of writing it. I happen to have these moments very often, so I'm sorry if I disappoint anyone! I got a job this summer so I won't have all the time in the world to update, mind you. Please be patient with me!

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Title: The Game

Summary: Leo, Raph, Don, and Mikey have been turtle-napped and taken to a private island where a big game hunter named Jaeger Baldwin is tracking them for sport. Can the four brothers escape before they become part of this lunatic's trophy collection?

Rating: T (for moderate violence and strong language)

Characters: Leonardo, Raphael, Donatello, Michelangelo, Master Splinter, Leatherhead, April O'Neil, Casey Jones, Jaeger Baldwin (OC), Selma Baldwin (OC), Slicer (OC), and other minor appearance by side characters

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_OC Profiles:_

**Jaeger Baldwin**

Sex: male

Age: 45

Nationality: German

Current Residence: Raubtier Island

Occupation: blacksmith, hunter

Talents/Skills: tracking down large game, forging weapons and materials out of iron (i.e. locks, blades, etc.), surviving in the wild over a long period of time

Relations: Selma Baldwin (younger sister), Slicer (accomplice and game strategist; his name is an alias), Abelinda (pet anaconda that hunts with Jaeger)

Height: 6'2''

Weight: 196 lbs.

Race: caucasian

Eye color: blue

Hair color: dirty blonde

Skin color: tanned

Distinguishing features: wears a western style hat with a brown quail feather sticking out at the top, right calf has an 8 in. scar, another scar starts at his left cheek bone and makes an uneven mark that goes across part of his lips and ends at the tip of the chin.

Habits: smokes large cigars while hunting (he revels in the fact that his prey can smell him coming), rubs the scar on his face when in deep thought, eyes shift a lot from being constantly alert.

Flaws: hot tempered, easily excited, mentally unstable to a certain extent

Strengths: patient, knowledgeable (on things like animal behavior, survival skills, navigation, etc.), persuasive.

**Selma Baldwin**

Sex: female

Age: 26

Nationality: German

Current Residence: Berlin, apartment complex; Raubtier Island (comes to visit occasionally and check on her brother)

Occupation: nurse at a general hospital, sews in the summer

Talents/Skills: the practice of medicine, sewing upholstery and clothing, can run for a long period of time due to her morning work outs (used to be in track during high school).

Relations: Jaeger Baldwin (older brother)

Height: 5'5''

Weight: 127 lbs.

Race: caucasian

Eye color: blue

Hair color: blonde

Skin color: peachy pink

Distinguishing features: her hair is close to a platinum blonde, she keeps a silver locket around her neck at all times.

Habits: picking at her jagged fingernails, brushing her shoulder blade-length hair behind her ears.

Flaws: quick to judge, indecisive, timid

Strengths: kind-hearted, fast-paced, resourceful

**Slicer**

Sex: male

Age: 38

Nationality: English (British)

Current Residence: Northampton, England (or wherever his service is necessary)

Occupation: game strategist (for hunting), traps specialist, hunter

Talents/Skills: setting up traps or distractions, plotting out plans of action, puzzles, sniping, assembling equipment

Relations: Jaeger Baldwin (client)

Height: 6'3''

Weight: 176 lbs.

Race: caucasian

Eye color: golden brown

Hair color: salt and pepper hair (usually slicked back)

Skin color: apricot

Distinguishing features: none (he doesn't want to be remembered by anyone of who he is or what he does, so he usually has to surgically remove any scars or visible marks of which to identify him with).

Habits: chews on his writing utensils while strategizing.

Flaws: becomes too hasty or impatient when things start going his way

Strengths: knowledgeable (academically), excels in puzzles and riddles, always one step ahead of the game, organized

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Chapter 1: The Stalkers

_A wise rat once said, 'Straying from one's own path may hinder your enemies, but bare in mind that the same inconvenience may befall you as well.' But what is one's path? And, when you get there, how do you know which one to take? Especially if you have no idea where you're going to end up. Was there such a thing as fate? Or destiny? Both prospects seem rather stifling when considering that one knows so little about their future. Although, this fear has not stopped many of the great minds of our time to pursue what they believed was right. Even after death, the influence of those who helped change society for the better is still echoing off the walls of our ever-changing nations. There are so many questions that could be answered by these men and women, like how they suppressed their worries and fears? When and why did they decide to one day make an impact on the lives of so many when they are but one? Can they really make such a significant difference? Was their purpose realized before they fulfilled their desires, or after, when they thought no one would ever remember them? _

_How can I make a difference? What can I do to make my life worth more than just another living creature on this vast planet?_

_How do I find my one true path?_

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Leonardo's mind was clouded with these heavy thoughts as he leapt from rooftop to rooftop on this chilly October night. The turtle didn't know how or why these questions formed, but it might've had something to do with the recent fight he had with his younger brother, Raphael. The two subjects seemed totally unrelated, but it was the content of their bickering that stuck to Leo like glue residue on a child's hands.

**:~:~Flashback~:~:**

"_We could have stopped them! We could've shown them that what they were doing was wrong, and that they don't have to lead this life!"_

"_Are you kiddin' me, Leo? Those Purple Dragons ain't never gonna change. Once a scumbag, always a scumbag!"_

"_That's not true Raphael, and you know it. Angel was able to realize the error of her ways."_

"_She's different from those bumbling morons we duke it out with every other day. Those two back there weren't gonna back outta nuthin'."_

"_You don't know that! I could see it in their eyes, Raph. They... they looked like they wanted to be saved, like they were trapped and waiting for the first person to speak a kind word to them to take them away from that life."_

"_What, you some kinda psychologist, Leo? You gonna save every corrupted soul we find skulking around the alleys of New York? Why don't you start your own business, huh? I'm sure that'd go over just __**swell**__!"_

"_I'm not joking around, Raph."_

"_Yeh, well neither am I! Those two goons decided to play with fire, and guess what? They got burned. So I say, good riddance to 'em!"_

"_But their faces-"_

"_Look, Leo. You can't be the savior you wanna be. It's impossible to change the minds of every criminal in this city, let alone the world! One mutant turtle ain't gonna make a difference."_

"_Oh, is that how you see it, Raph? You can't control the things that happen in life, so you're just going to let it be?! I don't know about you, but I'm not gonna give up the hope that there's some good in all people and that __**we**__ can change that!"_

"_Tch! Suit yourself bro. You can go off trying to purify the world with your 'good intentions', but yer not gonna see me comin' to help ya."_

"_Fine then. Think whatever you want. How could __**you**__ possibly do anything to help these people anyway?"_

**:~:~End Flashback~:~:**

After that, Leonardo had left the lair while Raphael stayed behind to simmer by himself. Donatello had gone out for some new tools earlier and hadn't come back yet, while Michelangelo was at a comic book convention about 20 blocks from their home. The older turtle could hear the angry grunting noises coming from down the sewer tunnel. If Raphael wasn't careful, that'd be the third punching bag this month that he's broken. At least it was better than taking out his fury on others.

Leo stopped at the ledge of one office building and peered into the apartment of Casey and April Jones. They'd been married a year already, but you could tell they still had a few issues to work out once April started whacking her husband with a broom. No doubt, the problem was caused by that big bonehead. Leonardo had planned to talk to the woman about his thoughts and questions, but decided that tonight wouldn't be the best night to do that (for obvious reasons). He continued his nocturnal trek among the jungle that was New York city, too distracted to notice the unfamiliar presence that was tailing him every step of the way.

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"Urgh!! Stupid Leo! Thinkin' he's... some kinda... hero or somethin'!" Raphael growled in between punches. The bag had already taken quite a beating and was just about to bust at the seams before he heard a cane tapping quietly toward him.

"My son, calm yourself. Overexertion is not good for the mind and body."

Raphel turned towards Master Splinter, hands clenched into fists at his sides. "I'm fine, sensei. Takin' a jab at the ol' meat sack is my way of relaxin'." The turtle's heaving breaths told otherwise.

"Ah, Raphael. You are not aware of your exhaustion in the least. This is a fortunate quality you possess among your brothers; endurance. But, you must remember not to carry such burdens on your own. This weight was not made for but one person." The old rat put a kind paw on Raphael's trembling arm. Maybe he really was overdoing it...

"But master, if I don't carry the load, then who will? Not Leo, that's for sure."

"Why do you say this?"

The turtle let out a disgruntled sigh. "Because nowadays, whenever we finish up a brawl with the Purple Dragons or some low-class criminals, he keeps on wantin' to preach to 'em, like he could bring them over from a life of crime in the split seconds we have before the police show up. It's crazy, I tell ya!" He whirled around and slammed his fist into the punching back one last time, causing it to burst into a pile of torn potato sack and sand.

Splinter was used to this blunt behavior and continued, "Leonardo is only attempting to find another way of solving conflict. This desire will come about all of you in time, my son."

"Yeh, I don't think so, Master Splinter. I mean, no offense, but I don't see a brighter future than what we're livin' in now, and it ain't very bright."

Splinter closed his eyes and nodded fondly. "I went through this same struggle at your age as well. I asked myself whether I could avenge my master Yoshi, or simply let the thought die out along with him. There were two paths I could have chosen: to go out and find the man who killed my master, or live in solitude like the rodent I was meant to be in this bustling world full of danger and uncertainty."

"Let me guess. You decided to hunt down the Shredder and kick his butt all the way to next Sunday, right?" Raphael smirked at the thought.

"One would think so, but it's the opposite from what you have suggested."

Surprise crossed Raph's features.

"I stayed underground, scavenging and desperately trying to survive. There were times where I felt like throwing myself into the raging current of the sewer's canal, but I knew this was not what my master would have done in a difficult situation."

There was silence for a few moments until Splinter was able to push the memory of Yoshi away again.

"But, to this very day, I am glad I chose that path."

"Huh?" One of Raphael's eye ridges rose. "Why's that, sensei? Sounds like a pretty rotten life to me."

"Because, if I had chosen to find Orokusaki and live above ground, I would have never discovered you and your brothers." The rat's warm smile struck a nerve somewhere in Raphael's heart.

"Thus, you cannot obtain the good things in life without first going through the bad. In all light, there can be darkness. And in all darkess..."

"There can be light." Raphael finished the sentence for him, suddenly comprehending what Leonardo was talking about before.

"Yes, my son. I believe you understand what your elder brother has been trying to convey to you as of late."

"So... Leo is... still trying to find the right path for 'imself? But I always thought that the guy knew what he was doin', ya know? He sure acted like it."

"We can come upon many paths in our lives, Raphael. This just happens to be one with a fork in the road and no sign that guides you. It is at this moment one must choose for himself what is the most reasonable course of action."

The mutant turtle stood planted to the ground for a while, taking in everything his father had told him. Although the meaning wasn't crystal clear yet, Raphael felt a little more enlightened about why his brother acted the way he did.

"Thank you, master." He bowed and, without another word, left the lair more silently than he ever had before.

"You're welcome, my son." Splinter smiled, let out a sigh that he had been unknowingly holding, and returned to the dojo for some light meditation. "Kids."

When Raphael emerged from the sewers, he re-covered the manhole and slipped into the shadows with ease. He then wall-jumped his way to the top of some condos and dashed across the cityscape like he'd done many times before.

'Maybe I should find Leo, tell him that I'm startin' to see his side o' things more clearly."

He thought about it.

'Nawww. He'd probably rub it in my face and whatnot, that jerk. I'm sure everythin' will be back to normal by tomorrow."

But everything was far from normal as another stealthy figure crept along the roofs of New York, stalking Raphael without detection.

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**AN:** Woah woah woah! Looks like the turtles have a few stalkers! Go figure, lol. Hopefully they're of the friendly kind, which isn't very likely as with most stalkers. Hope you enjoyed the first spine-tingling chapter of The Game! :D

Here are my policies in fan fiction writing in case anyone wants to know: 

Mary-Sues and Gary-Sues are a big NO-NO for me. : \

I don't like mixing in stuff of reality with fan fiction. Ex: When someone says a character is wearing a My Chemical Romance or Naruto t-shirt or something of the sort, I can't STAND it!

I don't do song fics either. They're just a waste of time and space. No one ever reads the lyrics... seriously.

I'm all about making sure the characters are IN character. When someone decides it's alright for a cold, brooding character who never reveals his emotion to suddenly say "I love you" to the one he cares for, I go insane.

And that's about it! I'll have the next chapter up asap. :)


	2. The Capture

**URGENT NOTICE:**Apparently I'm being accused by one of my reviewers of stealing this plot from another TMNT fan fic called "A Most Deadly Game". They even went so far as to say that it's more compelling and better written than mine, even though they seem to have not read my story at all and only the summary. I'm addressing this problem b/c it's a very important issue to me and I don't want my name dirtied for something like this.

Sorry, but I've never heard of or read "A Most Deadly Game", therefore I wouldn't know what you're talking about. In fact, I looked up the summary to that fic and saw that it was NOTHING like mine. Here's what it said:

"It takes one decision to make an enemy for life. During his training in Central America, Leonardo angered one of its most powerful men. Now Leo is in a race to prevent his brothers from paying the price of his actions."

Now here's mine:

"The guys have been turtle-napped and taken to a private island where a big game hunter is tracking them for sport. Can the four brothers escape before they become part of this lunatic's trophy collection? Lots of brotherly love, but no yaoi, lol.

Does that sound at all alike? I don't think so.

I haven't read every TMNT story on , so you can't immediately assume I've stolen a plot from someone else if I wasn't aware that it was on here. Not to mention, I'm not some low-life plagiarist. I'm offended that someone would automatically pin me as one just b/c they think my story is similar to someone else's. I already knew from the beginning that there must be some TMNT fics out there where a guy is hunting the turtles down. I mean, c'mon! It's a pretty easy plot to come up with, ya know? But, I'm an original person, so I'll be bringing something different to the table, so to speak. In conclusion, please **think** before you judge me and my stories. And hey, if you still wanna debate about it, I can do this all night long if need be.

Thank you.

**AN:** ANYWAY, now that I've cleared that misunderstanding, I hope you will all enjoy the next chapter of The Game. :)

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Chapter 2: The Capture

Raphael rested against a roof entry way to catch his breath, the cold air slightly burning his nostrils.

"Geez! How far did Leo go? Ya wouldn't think it'd be too hard findin' a giant green mutant turtle paradin' about the city." In the end, Raphael had decided to find his brother and straighten things out. Usually this was Leo's job, but he was pretty steamed when he left, so maybe it would be better to iron out the problem himself.

Raphael straightened up, took one last look at his surroundings, and leapt across the next alley way. All the while, Raphael tried recalling the spots that his brother liked to hang out at the most. There was the water tower where the four of them would meet and talk together sometimes, but he'd already checked there. April and Casey's apartment was another obvious choice, but he'd been by there too and saw that the windows were dark, assuming the couple had hit the sack. It was midnight after all...

'Where else does Leo usually go?' Raphael knew that his older brother's love of meditation meant he enjoyed places with little to no distractions. So where, at 12:00 am, would the nightly hum of the city be limited? Not to mention, it'd have to be where people wouldn't go at this hour.

Central Park.

"Of course." Raphael was heading straight for that part of town anyway, so what was the harm in seeing if Leo had decided to take a solo stroll through the tree-littered area?

Making sure no one was around, Raphael jumped down from the top of a 3 story building and landed in the shadow of some metal trash cans next to him. The coast was clear, so he ran across the two-way street, hopped the barred fence and hid in some brush. Just as he had presumed, the park was devoid of all human life. Even so, Raphael made sure to stay out of the light of the street lamps lining the concrete path.

The trees in Central Park were already starting to dress themselves in argent shades of burgundy and saffron. A few leaves were softly drifting to the cold pavement below where they would soon become the amusement of every child in New York on a crisp autumn day. Some of the smaller oaks were nearly barren, stripped of the protective covering that birds took so much pleasure in during hot summers. Now their empty abandoned nests were visible to any passerby, looking like small tumors nestled within the trees' outstretched arms. A constant breeze caressed Raphael's taut skin that sent shivers up his shell. There were times where the scampering of a school of detached leaves would cross his path, dance around his feet, and leave to make more mischief among the park's path.

The turtle could already feel that his brother had indeed took sanctuary here in this tranquil setting. It wouldn't be long before Raphael found him...

Speak of the devil.

"There he is! That moron, makin' me chase him all the way here..." He was about to call out to his older sibling, but froze once he heard a small crack in the bushes to his left, a major contrast to the musical sounds he heard before. Raphael glared at the rustling leaves and took a battle-ready stance. Raphael swore that if a single Purple Dragon popped out, he'd see to it that they end up like one of the dry leaves he stepped on earlier.

One can imagine how silly he felt when a squirrel emerged, holding a handful of acorns in it's mouth.

"Ho boy. I'm startin' to lose my nerve here, heh heh. Guess I'm just a little anxious about talkin' to Leo." Raphael shook his arms out and began walking towards his brother whose back was turned to him, oblivious to his presence.

"Hey Le-"

PCK!

Raphael cringed and looked down at the offending dart sticking out of his right thigh.

"What the..."

The ninja searched in every direction for the culprit of his injury, but the constantly moving shadows of trees and bushes were playing with his judgement. He yanked the needle out of his leg and cast it aside, glancing at the small wound it left. Nothing serious, but he had a feeling that wasn't why he should be worried. Even when Raphael had stopped spinning around, his mind didn't. The darkness of the park was slowly increasing... or was that himself?

'Ugh... somethin' musta' been in whatever stuck me.' The turtle held his head and groaned, trying to stay awake at all costs. He was ashamed that he couldn't avoid this surprise attack, seeing as he had been through a similar scenario before. But, since he couldn't pinpoint the thing that had done this to him, Raphael started running. Although, from another's perspective, it was more like staggering.

"Where are you?! Lil' bastard... SHOW YOURSELF!!" He yelled into the swimming vision of lights and fog. He held his twin sai, slashing out at whatever moved. 'Dammit! I can't see a freakin' thing! Where's Leo? I gotta warm 'im...'

That was Raphael's final thought as he collapsed onto the gritty path. Every part of the turtle's body was going numb until he couldn't feel whether he was still holding onto his weapons anymore. His eyes were almost completely blind and a mixed feeling of panic and relaxation washed over him.

'Is this it?... I never... gotta... Leo......'

In the background Raphael could here a faint voice, calling out what sounded like his name. A familiar flash of blue and green, and then nothing.

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Breathe in.

…....

Breathe out.

Master Splinter, in a perfect lotus position, inhaled the strong-smelling incense that wafted throughout the small room. The half-melted candles were all lit, their light flickering against the rust-stained wall. The sewer was a pungent place to live, but you found a way around the unpleasantries at some point. Although, nothing could be worse than the smell of sweaty teenagers after a long day's practice.

It was the price Splinter had to pay for raising four orphan turtles in the sewer, of all places.

Speaking of which, it was getting very late and neither of his sons had returned. He knew Raphael had left to patch things up with Leonardo, but Donatello's time at the hardware store should not have exceeded past midnight, nor should have Michelangelo's convention. Maybe they had met up with their two elder brothers? But they must have bought some merchandise from their trips, so one would think they would return and leave them here before going out.

"Hmmm..."

It was natural for Master Splinter to be concerned of his son's whereabouts, but he knew that, although they themselves could be troublemakers, trouble could just as easily find them. Soon they would come home and tell him all about what had happened this night with the Purple Dragons, or the Foot, or perhaps some common thieves.

"I shouldn't worry so. They have grown into such fine young turtles. Looking out for one another is one of their most blessed aspects."

With that reassurance, Splinter blew out all the candles and retired to his sleeping quarters. What harm could it do to let his sons have a late night out every once in a while?

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Leonardo paced by one of the large water fountains of Central Park. There wasn't anyone around, so he let himself enjoy this time of being out in the open. A few leaves swirled in the wind and landed on the glass-like water of the fountain. It was getting pretty dirty. Probably time for someone to clean it out soon.

His mind was filled with these mundane thoughts, but the one that tugged at him the most was resurfacing once again. What he said to Raph earlier... it almost disgusted him.

'He's done just as many things to help the citizens of New York as I have. I shouldn't judge him simply because we have different opinions. Man, I feel like such a jerk.' A dried leaf nudged at him on the ground, so he lifted his foot and let the hopeless piece of foliage roll toward the grass, where it became stuck in the soft splinters.

He sighed and said to himself, "I need to clear the air between us. It's my fault this whole argument started in the first place." With a nod, the turtle was heading to one of the many exits of Central Park.

This was before he heard a loud yell from behind.

"Where are you?! Lil' bastard... SHOW YOURSELF!!"

That was definitely Raphael's voice. Leonardo flinched. Was he really that mad at him when he left? It was going to be hard to sort all of this out with that kind of attitude.

He turned around, ready to face the blazing temper of his younger brother, and saw him swiping at the air wildly with his sai. Leo wasn't sure whether he was just insane with rage, or if a fly was bothering the angry turtle. Then he noticed how disoriented Raphael looked and that he was mumbling something incoherent from where he was standing. Leo squinted in the dark to see what was wrong, but there wasn't anything else there except for ol' hothead himself.

Before he had a chance to speak out, Raphael toppled to the ground, unmoving. Leonardo's senses were fully awake now as he sprinted towards his fallen brother, calling out in urgency.

"Raph!"

He kneeled down and shook him, praying that this was some kind of joke. Even if Raphael only did this so he could get his hands around Leo's throat, it wouldn't matter. As long as....

But the thought of this being a prank soon dissipated when Leo saw a dark figure drop down from the trees to his right. It was too dark to see who or what it was, but the conscious turtle already knew from the moment he laid eyes on the shadowed form.

Trouble.

"Who are you?" Leonardo asked in a wary voice. This could have been an innocent bystander who just so happened to love climbing trees at midnight in Central Park, but the timing of it's appearance and Raphael's fall were too much of a coincidence.

The intruder didn't answer Leonardo, but did something unexpected. It whistled. The kind of whistle one would use to summon a dog.

"Wha...?" Leo looked in the direction of which the figure whistled, ready for some Purple Dragons to emerge from the bushes, or the Foot to rain down from the trees. But when he felt a sharp and unfamiliar pinch, he realized he'd been tricked.

The stranger had shot a dart into upper arm. The whistle was a farce.

Leo didn't react in time to pull the needle out before it injected it's fowl contents.

'This must've been what happened to Raph. Grrr... why wasn't I paying attention?!'

He knew he wouldn't be able to run away, not with his 200 lb, unconscious brother to worry about. Doing the only thing he could, Leonardo unleashed his katanas and charged with full fury towards their attacker.

"GRRAAAAH!" He cried out in frustration.

The dark figure played around with Leo a bit, dodging it's victim's futile slashes. This didn't stop the turtle from using every bit of strength he had left to take down his opponent. At one point, Leonardo aimed to strike the perpetrator's shoulder directly, but in one swift motion it was blocked using it's hands.

"Urgh!" Leo's eyes widened. How did it...

He was then kicked in the stomach by what felt like a brick and thrown to the ground, his katanas skidding to a halt a few feet away. The attacker came and stood over the helpless turtle condescendingly, his steel-toed boots gleaming in the park lights. Leonardo struggled to regain his breath, his shell quivering with each inhale. It was no use though. The stuff that had been emptied into his system was taking it's affect. He turned his head achingly slow and tried reaching for his brother who lay not too far from him. He had to get to Raphael. He had to keep this mad man from harming him.

"Gotta... stay... awake..."

A cruel chuckle wormed it's way to Leo's ears before he passed out completely, noticing that a second form had materialized from the opposite direction.

The whole "good in all people" thing was starting to sound pretty lame right about now.

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Master Splinter was jolted from his sleep, brow sweating and eyes agape. He sat up momentarily to calm his rapidly beating heart and gather his bearings once more. Having nightmares about his sons being in danger was not uncommon for the rat, but it still rattled him so. There were times where he'd be thrashing around in his covers, trying to fight off whatever was hurting his children. Only once did one of his sons ever find him in this state and woke him from that terrible dream. It was a late night for Donatello and he just so happened to be passing by sensei's room, hearing the grunting noises coming from inside. The herbal tea he had prepared for his master had helped greatly.

This is exactly what Splinter chose to do. He went to the kitchen, prepared that same cup of tea, had a few sips, and retreated back to his room for some much needed rest.

'I must have breathed in too much incense tonight...'

With that explanation, Splinter laid down and fell back into a deep slumber.

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**AN:** A bit of a cliffhanger, but oh well! Hopefully it will leave many of you wanting more. :) You all may be wondering what has become of Don and Mikey. You'll soon find out! Lol.

See you in the next chapter of The Game!

**********

Here are my policies in fan fiction writing in case anyone wants to know:

1) Mary-Sues and Gary-Sues are a big NO-NO for me. : \

2) I don't like mixing in stuff of reality with fan fiction. Ex: When someone says a character is wearing a My Chemical Romance or Naruto t-shirt or something of the sort, I can't STAND it!

3) I don't do song fics either. They're just a waste of time and space. No one ever reads the lyrics... seriously.

4) I'm all about making sure the characters are IN character. When someone decides it's alright for a cold, brooding character who never reveals his emotion to suddenly say "I love you" to the one he cares for, I go insane.


	3. Predators

**AN:** Woo hoo! I'm so inspired to write the next chapter right now, omg_. _:D I don't know what's come over me this morning, but hopefully it won't end up in a writer's block anytime soon, lol! So, without further adieu, here's the third chapter to The Game.

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Chapter 3: Predators

A large hand rose to hold the cigar in its host's chapped lips. The man's mouth seeped gray smoke as he let the offending substance drift out on its own. His posture was slumped only because curiosity had a strong leash on him for the moment. The habitual tapping of his steel-toed boots made his excitement all the more known.

Afterall, the specimens were beyond incredible!

Jaeger Baldwin sat hunched over in his brown leather chair occupying a room overlooking a splendid view of the big blue sea. The place was the size of any normal employee's office, just with windows that took up his entire wall space. From here he could see everything that went on within his domain, a feeling he relished in countless times.

But right now, the breathtaking scenery was the last thing he cared about. What was displayed on his small, desktop television was much more... interesting.

"Beautiful." He spoke half to himself and half to the creatures on the other side of the screen.

Another puff of the cigar.

"How was capture?"

"Without incident, sir." A low, smooth voice crackled over the speakers, a huge difference compared to Jaeger's gruff German accent.

"Good. And detainment?"

"We have them ready for our trip back."

"Alright then. Status report." The man couldn't keep his eyes off the fascinating beings whose mere existence taunted him on the television screen.

"We have all four of the turtles with us, properly restrained and fully sedated. They should wake up devoid of side-effects in the next 24 hours. No real physical force was necessary to subdue them, and no harm has befallen them before or after capture. One has a slight concussion from the injury on it's head when it fell, but nothing to concern yourself with. We should arrive at the island within the amount of time you requested."

"Most wonderful. I am anxious to see my recently acquired prey in its new habitat as soon as possible." He smothered his finished cigar into the hefty glass ash tray on his desk. "I would have gone myself, but a city is no place for a proper hunt."

"Of course, sir."

A throaty chuckled emitted from Jaeger's uneven nose. "You _would_ agree to that, wouldn't you."

The voice on the other end said nothing.

"By the way, where is Henry?"

"He's up in the cockpit with the pilot I believe."

"Did he aid you at all in your pursuit of these creatures?"

"Yes, sir. His objective was perfectly executed."

A haughty snort came from Jaeger. "Of course. Why should I expect any different?" His scarred lips curled into a smirk.

After another minute of looking over the giant reptiles (or from what he could see through the blasted static that was hindering his view), Jaeger finally leaned back in his chair and gave a final word to his subordinate.

"Okay, Slicer. I am to hear from you tomorrow night, yes?"

"That is correct, sir. If there are any delays I shall inform you immediately."

"Yes. Be sure that you do. Oh, and don't forget about the pilot."

"Of course not, sir. He will be dealt with as soon as we land."

"Just try not to make it too messy, yah? I don't want him staining the interior."

"You won't have to worry about that. The deed will be done on shore."

"Excellent. Jaeger, over and out." He changed the frequency of his television back to where it was usually set. All that filled the small picture now were four different rooms that he had in his facility. The first one was a lounge area with a built-in kitchenette. The second one was the only hallway present in the facility. The third was an elevator that led up to his office.

Jaeger smiled as he gazed at the fourth room, which was filled with the dozens upon dozens of animals he had hunted and caught over the years, their heads mounted on every inch of the walls.

"It won't be long now, my children. Soon you will have the honor of meeting some new and extraordinary friends that I've found for you. They'll go right next to you, 'Mr. King'.

The 'Mr. King' in question hung frozen over his fireplace mantle, the body leaping out from the wall as if it were still living, defending it's cubs with all it's might.

**:::~~~:::~~~:::~~~:::~~~:::~~~:::**

It was 10 am in New York City as April, followed by a groggy Casey, made the usual visit to their friends' lair. It was a big surprise when nothing but silence met their ears.

"Uh, guys? Master Splinter? Anyone home?"

"Maybe they went out somewhere?" Casey suggested, simply wanting to get back to sleep.

"But the candles are burning. Hello? Guys?"

"Mrs. Jones." A familiar voice called out.

"Master Splinter, There you are! What's going on? A day off for the guys?" She smiled at the thought.

"I'm afraid not, Mrs. Jones. It seems that my sons have not yet returned from their nightly rendezvous among the city. I am beginning to worry."

"They haven't checked in with you or anything? That's not like them..." She rubbed her chin in thought.

"Yes, **very** unlike them." He nodded.

"Well, where did they all go?"

"Michelangelo left early yesterday to one of his comic book gatherings, and Donatello only went to buy some supplies he needed for a project he was working on. Both should have been back by last night."

"What about the other two?"

"Sigh..."

"Lemme guess. Big fight, eh?" Casey chimed in.

"Mr. Jones is not mistaken, unfortunately. Leonardo had left once they finished their argument, and Raphael went to find him soon after. It is very unsettling that neither have come back to reassure me that everything is alright."

"I'll say. That doesn't sound like Leo at all."

"Yer tellin' me." Casey's exhaustion melted away once the topic of what could possibly be trouble was breeched.

"What should we do, Master Splinter?"

"I... I suppose we will wait a little while longer. I predicted that the four may have met up somehow and decided to spend a late night in the city, but..."

"Now that's it's day time, you wouldn't think the guys wouldn't risk the chance of being seen." April turned to face the door to the lair.

"My thoughts exactly." Master Splinter nervously wrung his walking stick between his paws and looked towards the entrance, as if at any moment his sons would come skateboarding in, laughing and joking around like usual.

**:::~~~:::~~~:::~~~:::~~~:::~~~:::**

"_Master Splinter, Master Splinter! Raphy broke all the crayons in my crayon box again!"_

_Toddler mutant ninja turtle Michelangelo cried while holding onto his father's sleeve in earnest._

"_Now, now my son. Were you sharing your crayons with him?"_

"_Sharing? With him? No way! He'd ruin them all!" The young reptile shook his head fiercely._

"_Ah, my son. There is a saying: 'Thousands of candles can be lit from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened."_

"_...Huh?" Splinter knew Michelangelo wouldn't understand this meaning, so he put it in words that a 6 year old child could comprehend._

"_Happiness never decreases by being shared."_

_The look on little Mikey's face was still a bit baffled._

"_Something about sharing. Got it!" Before his sensei could correct him, the young ninja ran off, completely ignoring the moral of the lesson._

"_Hmm. I wonder if Leo would know what Master Splinter was talking about?" But instead of trying to find out, he went right back to drawing in his Justice Force coloring book with the broken crayons Raphael had left him._

_Teenage Michelangelo stood, dumbfounded. He pointed to the younger version of him and gawked._

"_That's me! What am I doing here? Er, what is he doing there? Ugh... my head hurts!"_

_The pounding in his skull became stronger._

"_Ow! This is seriously starting to- owowow!" He held his head and rubbed it, but, no matter how hard he tried, it didn't feel like the method was helping._

"_I feel a lil'... urk...." Michelangelo's legs turned to jello and weakened underneath his weight. The turtle was falling, farther than he should. There wasn't any ground, just darkness._

_'Where am I going?'_

**:::~~~:::~~~:::~~~:::~~~:::~~~:::**

Michelangelo's eyelids were so heavy he couldn't manage to get them open. The first thing he sensed was a low vibration and some rumbling in the background. Had he fallen asleep in the Battle Shell? And what a weird dream. No. It was a memory from when he was just a little hatchling. He totally remembered that heart-aching time when Raphael had decided it'd be fun to break all of his crayons. Geez, what a jerk!

But that was the last thing he should have been caring about right now. Why couldn't he move? It felt as if his whole body was full of cement, while his head was filled with cotton. Once he was able to open his eyes a fraction of the way, all he saw was a metal ceiling.

'Wha?... This doesn't look like the Battle Shell...' Even his thoughts were slurred. He wondered how it'd be if he talked at this time. Maybe Raph put something in his orange juice earlier...

That assumption was quickly cast aside as a blurry and ominous figure came and hovered over Michelangelo's paralyzed body.

'Who... who 'dat?...' The outline of the form wasn't familiar. Too small for it to be any of his brothers. April? No, too big. Casey? Too slender. Then who...

"Oh my! You shouldn't have been waking up any time soon." The stranger's voice sounded oddly calming, but Mikey didn't like it.

He tried speaking, yet the words just wouldn't come out. What had happened while he was at the convention? What was going on?

He felt a stinging pain in his upper right arm. He couldn't even flinch his muscles were so fatigued.

'What'd he do ta me?... I don't under..."

In less than 5 seconds flat, the unknowing Michelangelo fell back into the abyss of his dreamworld.

"That was unexpected." Slicer replaced the needle filled with the sedative from earlier back into his briefcase and stared at the young turtle for a long while. "These creatures have more stamina than I thought. Baldwin will be most pleased. He always did enjoy a good challenge." The tall, pale man slicked back his dark hair and retreated to the cabin of the aircraft.

**:::~~~:::~~~:::~~~:::~~~:::~~~:::~~~:::~~~:::~~~:::~~~:::~~~:::~~~:::~~~:::~~~:::~~~:::~~~:::**

**AN:** I felt like I wrote so much, but it's only 5 pages. XD Lol. Time flies and all that jazz! Hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Now we know who our turtles are dealing with, although they have yet to find out. Poor unsuspecting Mikey. :C And don't think I haven't forgotten about Donatello! He'll finally make his appearance in the next chapter. :)

See you then!

**P.S.** If you want to see Jaeger's character profile and find out more about him, go to the first chapter and you'll see it right after the AN.


	4. Helpless

**AN:** Thank you for the few of you who have reviewed and liked my story. :) As I've said before, I'm sorry if you find my plot to be similar to other TMNT fics, but I've been a creative person since I was little so I hope you'll be satisfied with my writing skills to keep you interested.

ON WITH THE FIC!

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Chapter 4: Helpless

April sighed as she stopped to rest at a bench in Central Park. It was noon and the guys still hadn't come back. For all they knew, the turtles could've gone on a mission to infiltrate the Foot's hideout for one reason or another. Either that, or the Foot had "infiltrated" _them_. She shook the thought from her head and checked the silver watch on her wrist.

"Where is he? I said to be here at 12:00. What part of that didn't he understand?"

Said person screeched to a halt in front of the bench April was on, the motorcycle's exhaust fumes making her cough a couple times.

"Hiya babe! Phew, sure is crowded here today!" He said cheerfully while taking off his helmet, flipping the shoulder-length black hair out of his face.

"All the more reason to find the guys, and pronto." She climbed onto the back of his ride, strapped the extra headgear on and wrapped her arms around her husband's waist.

"Uh, hey! Aren't we gonna rest a bit? You know, maybe get somethin' to eat?"

"No time, Casey. Master Splinter is worried sick about those four." She dropped her voice to a whisper. "And so am I..."

Figuring he shouldn't argue, Casey zoomed off down the bikers path and out of Central Park for one more round through downtown New York. If they weren't able to find their friends here, then who knew where they could've disappeared to.

**:::~~~:::~~~:::~~~:::~~~:::~~~:::**

In the amount of time it took for a lab rat to find cheese in a maze, Donatello could've taken the cheese, studied it's physical properties, broke it down into it's main components, and told you from where the cheese originated, what kind it was, and the age of it. Some may comment on how boring or mundane the process sounds, but it didn't matter to Donny. He loved science, no matter how big or small the task.

At this very moment, the nerves in Donatello's brain were firing off at rapid speed, sending signals down to his others body parts of the impending danger he was in. If he wasn't careful he could easily have a panic attack, and then where would he end up? The reason for panicking? It could've been that he wasn't able to move a single muscle, or that his eyes would refuse to open without strain. It could've been that he was in an unfamiliar environment that seemed to rumble and pitch every few seconds, the cold feeling of steel chilling his plastron. He wasn't bound in any way, so why couldn't he move?! He tried running through every possible explanation for his current position, but he kept on hitting a wall; a dead end.

Like a rat in a maze...

Before, he felt numb, but the tingling in his legs was starting to wear off. This proved one of his theories that maybe he'd been sedated. But, because most of his motor skills were inadequate at this point in time, Donatello couldn't make an educated guess about anything else that had happened as of late. He could barely remember what he was doing tonight... wait, was it still night out? Or maybe morning? Shell, a whole **week** could've passed without his knowing! It was imperative that he found out what was going on, and fast. Who knew what state he'd find himself in next? But, before he could attempt on moving again, he heard a muted voice coming from a few feet away.

"Are we close to base?" The first voice had a British accent and sounded stoic and business-like, as if he'd never been phased by anything in his entire life.

"Yes. We're approaching the no-fly zone around the island. We should be landing in about 20 minutes." A pilot? That's all Donny could assume at the time.

"Good. I'm going to contact Jaeger one more time to tell him about one of our house guest's recent behavior."

"Why? What happened?" Another voice. This one was a tenor compared to the lower voices he'd heard earlier.

"It woke up. It's almost unfathomable since I had pumped enough sedative for a whole lion into these things."

"I'll say."

"But I'm sure that my client will be ecstatic over this fact."

"So am I."

Donatello was able to figure things out that no one else could in a few seconds flat. But this situation didn't take a mutant turtle with an IQ over 140 to comprehend what was happening.

Somehow, it seemed he'd been captured by these men and was now being transported to a certain rendezvous point with said "client" the English man had mentioned. None of these guys sounded like Purple Dragons or the Foot. What'd he'd gotten involved in sounded much more menacing and thought-out than what their usual enemies would concoct.

'Okay Donny. Collect yourself. You need to think of a way out of this before you're made into 200 lbs. of turtle soup. From the sound of things, these men have a plan for me. But what? I can only assume they would turtle-nap me for my intellect, but that's not proven yet...'

Then, a dark thought plagued Donny's mind. What if he wasn't the only one on board this aircraft besides those men? The turtle decided that it's now or never, and managed to open one of his eyes enough to get a good look at his surroundings.

He guessed the airplane part right, as well as the floor being made of metal. His captors were standing at the front of the plane only 10 feet away. He had to be careful that they didn't notice he'd regained consciousness. He didn't want that sedative they were talking about earlier to be injected into his system again. Slowly and quietly, Donatello turned his head to the right. Nothing but a steel wall. Now to the left.

'Oh no.'

He was staring directly into the face of his younger brother, Michelangelo. Cocking his head a little more to the side, Donny could see that both Leonardo and Raphael had been taken captive as well.

'How did this happen?! I can't remember anything after the hardware store... but...'

**:::~~~:::~~~:::~~~:::~~~:::~~~:::**

"_Have a good evening, young man." The store clerk nodded at the teenager in a trench coat, which happened to be none other than Donatello. _

"_Ah, you too!" The turtle in disguise politely said back over his broad shoulder. The old man was too near __**and**__ far sighted to see who resided underneath the shady clothing, but it didn't matter to him. The 80 year old loved people all the same._

_This is exactly why Donatello came to his shop. Sometimes he was able to carry on some fun conversations with the graying man, but today he needed to hurry back and finish the project he was working on. It was going to be a new defense system for the Battle Shell, equipped with small missiles that actually tracked the target instead of blindly shooting in a straight line. Numerous times they had missed and hit something that would most definitely cause the city trouble later on. His trip to the hardware store was to pick up a new welding tool and some bolts that they'd run out of._

"_It sure is getting late. I better take the short cut."_

_Donatello turned the corner into an alley two blocks away from the shop and checked his bag to see if everything he bought was put in there (since the old man could be forgetful at times and miss a particular item). _

_As he was busying himself, a flash of black jumped from one end of the alley behind a dumpster in front of him. The young ninja easily noticed this and silenced the rustling of his plastic bag. Donatello waited to see if whatever had caught his eye would reveal itself, but nothing happened. _

"_Hello? Is somebody there?", he called into the darkness. The only thing that moved was the moonlit steam that coiled out of the grates ahead. _

"_If this is some kind of prank Mikey, then..."_

_But, as he backed away from the shadowed area, the turtle felt a small pin prick in his neck, and it didn't feel like any mosquito he'd ever encountered._

_Donatello tried turning around to see who or what was behind him, but the muscles in his neck were already starting to tire. So much so, that within a few seconds Donatello couldn't even blink properly._

"_Wha... Mikey...? Is that yo..." His words were slurred and became in-comprehensive after a while. His attackers face was hidden under what looked like a wide-brimmed hat of some kind. The toothy grin was Donatello's last sight as he fell, all rational thought leaving him._

**:::~~~:::~~~:::~~~:::~~~:::~~~:::**

The purple-masked turtle peered cautiously back up at the men who supposedly had captured all of his brothers without breaking a sweat. Well, he didn't know that for sure. Maybe Donatello himself had been the only easy acquirement? That would be so humiliating... The others would never let him live it down.

Although that's not what mattered now. The real problem came in a set of three men, two of which were heavily armed at the hip, but all of which wanted to do them some sort of harm. If he revealed himself and tried fighting, it'd probably end up being a losing battle. The sedative was still coursing through Donatello's body like an unrelenting river current, and who knew when it would ware off? One of the men said that he had to sedate one of his brothers again because they had woken up. He glanced at each of them to see if he could decipher which one was more heavily unconscious than the other, but it was impossible to tell. Mikey was drooling at the lip more than usual. Maybe it was him that got the extra dosage?

Instead of dwelling on the subject, Donatello began thinking of a way out of their present predicament. Why had they been captured? Since no serious blows had been dealt to him and his siblings, did that mean that these new enemies had another plan for them? If so, then what was this plan? How much time had passed since they'd been capture? And Master Splinter... did he know they were missing?

Donatello, who had found the strength necessary to open his eyes fully, did just that, and found that he his face was about 2 inches away with one of the human men's.

He almost let out a surprised yell.

"Why, hello there." That thick English voice rolled off his tongue, like butter being spread on a burnt piece of toast.

Donatello didn't move, nor did he speak a word to the stranger. He was too afraid of what might happen if he did.

"Looks like you're about ready to roll out of bed as well. I must say, you turtles have such a quiet tenacity that is intrigues me more than any other prey I've had the pleasure of capturing... or, meeting, in your case."

Donny was compelled to say what was on his mind about this guy, but didn't want to chance it.

"Come now. Don't be frightened. You may talk if you so desire. I won't bite." His lips snaked to the sides of his face in a smile, and although it seemed friendly, the vibe Donatello got from it was anything but.

It was now or never.

"Why are you doing this?" The wary turtle asked.

"Ah, I'm glad you decided to speak up. Don't worry. I'll answer your questions, but not now. Everything will be explained once we've reached our destination."

"And, ugh... where would that be? Who are you?" Donatello winced as he tried moving.

"Patience. As I've said, you will soon see. But, for now, I'd feel comforted if you were to go back to sleep." The man bent down and fluidly stuck the needle into Donatello's arm. "This is the sedative I used earlier on you. I'll apply a small amount since we're getting to close to the island."

"Wait! Don't... ah..." His vision started swimming again, only this time is took affect more quickly.

"Hey, did one of them wake up again?" The younger voice from earlier piped up. Before blacking out, Donatello saw a shiny-toed boot in his view, showing the turtle a reflection of himself and the pathetic state he was in.

'Dammit...'

…...

**:::~~~:::~~~:::~~~:::~~~:::~~~:::**

The black phone on his desk rang.

"Yes?" Jaeger already knew who it was since this was a private number he'd only given to 3 people.

"Sir, we're a few miles away from the island. It'll be about 10 minutes until we land."

"Good work, Slicer. And the state of the turtles?"

"Two of them had woken up in the last hour, sir. I re-sedated them. They have incredible stamina."

This made the blonde man very happy. "I wouldn't have it any other way."

A flashing red light...

"Contact me when you've touched down, Slicer. I've got another call." Without waiting for a reply, Jaeger pressed the button on line 2 and changed his wicked smirk into a cheerful smile.

"Selma! I didn't think you'd be calling so soon."

"J, I hope you've been behaving yourself." A playfully stern female voice sounded through the speakers.

His hardy laugh was one of those laughs that would be deemed too loud at the dinner table.

"Oh, you know me, Selma! When have I ever done otherwise?" He joked back.

"I don't trust that tone of yours Jaeger Baldwin." Her voice was smiling back on the other end.

Selma Baldwin was the 26 year old younger sister of Jaeger. She still lived in Germany, unlike her big brother, and housed herself in an apartment complex on the outskirts of Berlin. It was a relatively safe neighborhood, but she was a woman who was perfectly capable of taking care of herself, a fact which Jaeger knew well. She worked as a nurse in a general hospital not far from where she lived, and her main task was to check up on the seniors in the terminal illnesses department. It was a tough job, physically and emotionally, but Selma's defenses were tougher. She received this hard-shell exterior from their father who passed away in his sleep some years ago. A silver locket carrying her parents' picture was dangling around her thin neck at all times to remind herself of their presence.

But why had she called on a work day? Selma usually had a weekly chat with her brother every Saturday or Sunday. Was something wrong? Jaeger would soon find out.

"Goodness! The traffic was stifling this morning." The girl complained in that same pouty voice of hers over the phone. She'd used that tactic to get the attention she wanted from their mother and father as a tiny tot.

"What's going on over there?" He asked curiously.

"Oh, nothing really. Just some big food festival they're hosting at the stadium. I don't know why they didn't do it on a weekend, but I guess they have their reasons." She let out an exasperated sigh.

"I see. Too bad I'm not there. I could really use some home-cooking right about now." It was the truth. The food in America wasn't so bad, but he missed the familiar tastes of home.

"Well then I'm glad I've made this decision." Selma held her cell phone between her head and shoulder while reaching into her purse for some ChapStick.

"What decision is that?" Jaeger didn't understand his sister's meaning. Of course that usually wasn't a surprise.

"I'm coming to visit you, Jaeger. It was a spur of the moment thing. I'm at the west harbor right now, getting something to drink before I leave."

This came as a shock to the usually calm Baldwin boy.

"You're coming over today? For how long?" That bass voice of his kept the man steady.

"Well, however long you'll have me!" The blonde laughed at herself. "I don't want to bother you and your work, but I thought that it's been so long since we've seen each other that..."

"I see! No no, it's wonderful! I look forward to you getting here. I'll call a friend of mine, he'll have you over here by boat in a jiffy."

"Splendid! Okay then, my battery is dying so I should probably let you go. See you in a few hours!"

Jaeger exchanged good-byes with his sister and set the phone down, eerily quiet. He then chose to make a call to Slicer.

"Yes sir, what is it?" The pale man inquired.

"I have news that borders on both sides of the moon. My younger sister, Selma, is coming to visit. Today."

"Oh. I see how that can pose a problem for you, sir. Does she know of your... hobbies?"

"Not exactly." He gave a disheartened chuckle. "This is going to be a bit problematic, but I don't want anyone blowing our cover. She'll be our temporary guest and I want her treated as such. Understood?"

"Yes, sir. I'll grant her with the finest hospitality we have to offer."

"Good." And with that, Jaeger hung up.

The big man sat in his chair, frowning and rolling the new cigar around in his mouth.

He sighed. "This whole operation could be jeopardized because of my sister's unannounced visit... I'll have to make sure she doesn't come in contact with our plans."

A dark expression crossed his face.

"Otherwise, I can't be held accountable for what might happen."

**:::~~~:::~~~:::~~~:::~~~:::~~~:::~~~:::~~~:::~~~:::~~~:::~~~:::~~~:::~~~:::~~~:::~~~:::~~~:::**

**AN:** I wrote this chapter over the weekend during my family reunion. That's why it took so long for the update. Sorry guys! Hope you enjoyed it!

I felt bad for not having Donny in any of the first three chapters, so he takes on a big role in this one. So far, he's the only one that knows at least half of what's going on so far with him and his bros. And now that Selma Baldwin has come into the picture, how will Jaeger fare?

WE'LL FIND OUT NEXT TIME! :D


	5. Patience

**AN:** As you can probably already tell, I don't have a set time or day for updating. It's sporadic! This is b/c I have a job this summer and don't have as much time as I used to. But, I will try to keep updating each week with at least 2 chapters, maybe more. For those of you who have decided to follow my story, thanks for being patient!

Here's chapter 5 of The Game.

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Chapter 5: Patience

_Verdammen._

Selma Baldwin tapped the steering wheel of her black VW impatiently. The harbor was so close she could taste that wonderful salty sea air, although she couldn't say the same thing about the smell, which was a constant odor of rotting fish. The window was down and all Selma could hear was the roaring of cars on either side of her. Some were honking, some were trying to squeeze into another lane (in which Selma wished them luck), and some were just chilling out and bouncing to the music they had on. She didn't have a desire to do any at the moment.

Selma was a voluptuous woman, resembling the body shape of Merlin Monroe her mother often said. Her pure blonde hair was a trademark of your typical German family, along with the pinkish skin tone. Like her older brother, Selma's blue eyes are her most outstanding feature. Previous boyfriends had stated this many times before, but in the end it was her D-cups that had attracted them like moths to a flame. She had thought about doing some reductive surgery on the girls, but in the end it was a no-go. One day she would find a man who'd be able to look past her boobs and into the real her.

_One day..._

She sighed.

Finally, after nearly an hour and a half of being stuck in traffic, Selma arrived at her exit and zoomed off, trying to leave behind the feeling of sitting still for too long. The harbor was only two miles away now, which seemed to take no time at all compared to the hell she went through earlier. There was an area for families who came and rode their boats or yachts on sun shiny days, so she took the opportunity and parked in the very front row closest to the dock. It was a weekday, so no one would be out here yet.

Selma hoisted her red work bag onto her shoulder and grabbed her matching suitcase from the trunk. She clicked the lock button several times before she was satisfied that her car was inaccessible to anyone but herself. (There had been quite a few car thefts lately around this area, so no point in taking chances, right?) She took her luggage across the small street and onto the wooden docks, the suitcase making a stark "CLACK" as it rolled over every space in the planks.

'Let's see. Jaeger's motor boats usually stay at... _this_ end of the docks.' She saw one of his sailboats tied up not too far from where she stood. Selma went to the very edge of the walkway, set her baggage down, and waited.

'He said there'd be someone to pick me up soon. I hope this is the right spot.' Her golden locks were wisped out of her face from the cool ocean breeze of that afternoon. The weather was comfortable, but at the same time it wasn't. It was one of those days where the sun's rays were particularly warm, but the wind was ice cold. It was a strange mixture of sweating to death underneath her wool coat, and getting goose-bumps altogether. Hopefully, her brother's island would have a stable climate.

Selma knew all about her brother's private isle, but she never figured out what it was for. She assumed it was just a vacation spot for him to relax and enjoy what he loved doing most, but that fact was also unknown to her.

'I haven't really kept in contact with him these past few years. I wonder what he's been doing all this time?' The man was a mystery to the younger sibling, but at least now they would have a chance to catch up and pal around like they used to as kids, when they were unbearably close.

As Selma was digging up fond memories of her carefree childhood, she heard a familiar sound in the distance. Appearing from the horizon was a motor boat with two red stripes decorating the body. Selma smiled to herself and got up from her seat on the suitcase, ready to go aboard the self-acclaimed "S.S. Baldwin".

**:::~~~:::~~~:::~~~:::~~~:::~~~:::**

From his high viewing point, Jaeger could see the plane he'd been expecting coming in for a landing on the east side. The letters "B.A.L.D.W.I.N." were scripted onto the aircraft in bright orange. The man was never one for subtly. He was one of those people who liked giving names to his possessions; the kind of person who would pay extra just to have their license plate say something witty, like "IAM-AQT" or "SIL-VER". Of course, he'd never choose something so theatrical. His last name would be good enough for his numerous vehicles.

"There they are, Abelinda. Getting excited?" He asked in a half whisper to his 25 ft. yellow anaconda. The snake hissed and slithered its way to the window. Jaeger had found the creature as a tiny hatching when the parents had abandoned her. She'd been a loyal pet ever since, her diet strictly consisting of medium sized animals such as sheep, fish or smaller mammals that Jaeger would often catch. The occasional bird egg was a good snack (it would hold her off until dinner time at least).

"By tomorrow, we might be facing our most challenging prey yet.. Are you ready for it?" He opened a drawer in his desk, unscrewed the lid of a jar that held a handful of dead field mice in it, and threw one towards Abelinda. She swallowed the thing in one gulp.

"Es ist an der Zeit für die Jagd." A roundabout way of saying "It's time to hunt". This was also a familiar phrase to Abelinda: a phrase that meant _she_ would be having just as much fun as Jaeger would.

The man grabbed his tranquilizer gun (just in case) and strode across the room to the elevator, his anaconda following close behind. She coiled herself up next to his feet, which was difficult for such a long animal in a tiny room like this. Jaeger pushed the button to go to the ground floor, legs spread apart with one hand on the gun strap and the other in his pocket.

As they descended, you could see the island rushing at you since the elevator was also made of glass. Jaeger liked an open field of vision, although he didn't allow anyone else the pleasure of having that same satisfaction. The windows of the tower were all one-way. The only thing people saw on the outside were silver squares gleaming in the sunlight. Stealth was important when hunting. But, according to Jaeger Baldwin, the rest of the world was just as dangerous as the animals he considered game. Let them know you're there, and they could figure everything about you just by knowing you exist. Your smell, your size, what you're wearing, if you're a threat or not. There was little difference between man and beast. These new creatures Jaeger had acquired were living proof.

"It's ridiculous, Abelinda. How could such marvelous beings live in such a place as the city? The climate, habitat... all wrong! Would not you agree?"

The snake merely looked up at her master with those same glassy black eyes.

"They would not have survived if I hadn't delivered them from that bleak and dying world. Now they can be where they were _meant_ to be, where they can fulfill my purposes. They're future lays in my hands in more ways than one, mind you."

Abelinda hissed.

"Ah, I see you are curious with this arrangement! Do not fret, my Fräulein. You may have your chance soon enough." He stroked the reptile's stretched body and smirked, like a kid who knew what he was getting for his birthday.

**:::~~~:::~~~:::~~~:::~~~:::~~~:::**

As soon as the plane landed on the cracked concrete runway, what seemed like a large moving truck pulled up in the rear. A short, stout man jumped out of the vehicle and opened the back of the truck. He then waited for instructions from his superiors.

Slicer radioed into Jaeger's office but couldn't get a hold of him.

'Probably coming down here to see the specimens for himself. Typical of him.' He thought. Two men who were considered the loading crew on this island were ordered up into the underbelly of the aircraft where the ramp was lowered down. They, along with the help of the truck driver, hoisted the unconscious turtles into the truck's cargo hold. It was no easy task. Each 200 lbs was heavier than the next. It was a wonder how the two that had captured these creatures were able to do it with just themselves.

"So, how goes everything?" Slicer's associate asked.

"Rather well. I thought these things would give us more trouble than this, but it appears I was mistaken. It makes me question their worth."

"Worth?"

"I mean, it makes me wonder whether they'll be much of a challenge for Jaeger."

"Oh, don't worry about that. We had the upper-hand this time only because of these tranq darts. He won't be using them in the real hunt, that's for sure."

"I do hope you're right."

"Trust me. We don't play dirty unless we have to. And, usually, if we absolutely _have_ to, it'd be in a situation where it's either us, or **them**." He pointed to the shelled creatures.

"Quite." Slicer replied with that signature stony face of his. "Right then. I'm going to put the cat out and finish up what I need to do here. You can accompany those men and the "cargo" to the main facility."

"Righto." The boy nodded enthusiastically and jogged down the ramp to where the movers were struggling with the red-masked turtle's weight.

"Such youth. Wish I still had some of that." Slicer joked to himself and headed towards the cockpit, fondling a poisoned dart hidden in his jacket pocket.

**:::~~~:::~~~:::~~~:::~~~:::~~~:::~~~:::~~~:::~~~:::~~~:::~~~:::~~~:::~~~:::~~~:::~~~:::~~~:::**

**AN:** It was short, but I wanted to focus more on the bad guys in this one than the turtles or April and Casey. The next one will draw back on the main characters, I promise. ;) So, I hope you enjoyed this particular chapter nonetheless.

German dictionary:

Verdammen - "Damn." (I used the more uncommon translation of it b/c it looks and sounds more like the english word "damn" than the other ways you could say it).

Es ist an der Zeit für die Jagd – Literally means "It is time for hunting". I just shortened the translation in the explanation in this chapter.

A VW is a german car company.

I'M SORRY IF ANY OF THESE WORDS OFFEND YOU, NO MATTER WHO YOU ARE!!


	6. Revelation

**AN:** Sorry Ugh! My internet has conked out for some unknown reason. I have to use the network at my friend's house to check my email and update stuff. : \ Don't know when it'll be fixed, so I apologize ahead of time for the delays my story will suffer.

Now, here's chapter 6 of _The Game_.

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Chapter 6: Revelation

_Hey!_

"... Mm..."

_Look there!_

"Urgh..."

_You can't- … your-_

"Ahhgrahh...."

_WATCH OUT._

"GAAHHH!"

Raphael's eyes flew open, relieving him from his strange nightmare. Everything had been fuzzy and dark, and although he couldn't move he didn't think he could due to the terror he felt. There were pale, sickly hands reaching for him, pulling and grabbing, but not harming. They were saying something inaudible, but the feeling they were giving off was anything but friendly. The rest was a blur. Raphael couldn't recall the rest of his dream. Probably a good thing too.

He felt a trickle of sweat slide down his right shoulder, which, he soon discovered, was disabled. The other arm wasn't budging either. This was so familiar... maybe because he'd been in situations like this before? No. It was different. What was going on? He couldn't remember anything before he.... lost consciousness?

'Is that what happened to me?' Raphael's gaze shuffled across his surroundings. After the disorientation had left him, the ninja found he was on his side, hands bounded to his ankles. 'What the-... Who hog-tied me?!' Helpless was the first word that came to his mind. He didn't like being vulnerable.

Another look around and it didn't take long for Raphael to realize he'd been jumped. It was all coming back now.

'That's right. Those things in Central Park... They must've done this to me. Those bastards! Where the hell are they now?' Raphael's mobility was still to weak for him to stand, let alone move anything but his neck. It wouldn't have helped. The room was pitch dark.

"Dammit! What the shell is going on here?! I swear, if I don't get an answer soon, I think I might go crazy!"

The gears in Raphael's head started turning again.

'Wait... Leo!'

Where was he? Did those creeps get him too? Was he hurt? These questions raced through the turtle's head while he lay on the floor, still unable to feel much of his body.

"If they've done anything to him, I'll..."

But before he was finished with his curse, lights as blinding as the sun lit the entire area, all one acre of it.

"Huh?" The sudden bright intrusion into his eyes ached, but at least he could see again. The room was made of cement and painted a stark white. The ground he lay on was softened by what seemed like very fine wood shavings, almost like confetti. It's something you'd see in a rabbit's cage.

The turtle was beginning to loathe this place already.

"What is this?" His voice was hoarse from not being used for more than 24 hours. He almost choked on some of the flaky padding that was near his mouth as he coughed. He rolled over, with only part of his shell touching the ground now. Compared to if he were perfectly healthy, it was not an easy task.

Slowly, but surely, Raphael was regaining his movement. First the arms, then the legs, then the rest of his body's numbness dissipated as if there was never anything wrong. Unfortunately, the ninja was still very much worn out from the drugged dart earlier. And even if he did have the strength to gather his bearings, Raphael's only way out was a solid steel door, which didn't look like it was opening any time soon. Everything else was concrete, concrete, and more concrete.

Another terrifying fact: Leonardo was nowhere to be seen.

'Maybe he was able to get away? Man, I hope so.' Raphael let his head drop back to the floor miserably. No choice. He'd have to wait until the sedative wore off completely before he could attempt to break out of this joint.

'They're not gonna take me down _this_ easily.'

**:::~~~:::~~~:::~~~:::~~~:::~~~:::**

It was already going on 5:00 pm, and still no sign of the turtles. Casey and April searched all over the city, or as much ground as they could cover in one day at least. They even talked to some friends of theirs, like the Justice Force and Nobody. The super heros were just as clueless as they were. Now, April knew, something terrible must've happened to the guys.

"Casey make a right here. I want to check 44th and Briant again.

"April, we've looked there a dozen times already. We need to call it a day and report to Master Splinter, remember?"

"But-"

"April, chill! The guys'll be fine. They've always come through every time their in a jam, right? Why should we doubt'em now?"

"Sigh... You're right Casey. I'm just... worried, you know?"

"Hey, so am I, babe. So am I." He took the shortcut through Central Park like they had earlier that day. April was in a daze when she noticed a flash of blue across her blurred vision of the ground below.

"Casey, stop!" She squeezed his waist, causing him to nearly lose his breath. He brought the motorcycle to a screeching halt. Immediately, April jumped off the vehicle and headed over to where she saw the blue object.

"Geez, April! Squeeze the life outta me, why dontcha'?" Casey did the same, wondering why they had stopped. He saw the red-head bend down and pick up something in her hands. "What's that?"

She stared at the item as if her very gaze could bore holes in it. Her breathing was faster than when she was on Casey's motorcycle. Said man looked over her shoulder and had the same feeling travel through him as well.

"Hey. Is that...? No way."

April clenched the battered strip of headband. "Leo..."

**:::~~~:::~~~:::~~~:::~~~:::~~~:::**

The lights were on. Leonardo opened one eye and looked around the room. It was expansive, not to mention white. Decorating was simply not an issue for these people. Whoever they were...

The turtle rose without trouble and got up on his two feet. The side effects of the drug had worn off quite a while ago. Although his brothers didn't know it, Leo had been training his body to withstand certain poisons and sedatives whenever their enemies used them in battle. He still needed more practice, but at his level he was able to awaken from his forced slumber as they were taking off in the aircraft they'd been loaded in. Leo listened in on the conversations those men were having earlier, and it took all his will power not to beat the living shell out of them when he heard, rather than saw, that they had to sedate two of his brothers once again. He commended them mentally on their ability to resist the drug, but in this situation it was probably best that they didn't make any moves. Being on an airborne vehicle, it would be too dangerous to fight. They were also unarmed now, giving their captors the upper-hand.

Yes. It would be best to wait it out.

Leo had had no idea where they were being taken to except for that is was some sort of island. He had high doubts that it was anywhere in the U.S. The accents these people had were definitely foreign. One British, and one German. They didn't sound like any of their usual enemies, nor did they sound like they worked for any of them either. This was a whole new bowl o' turtle wax. Leo didn't like it when he knew nothing about his foes and they happened to know everything about them. This was most certainly one of those scenarios. He could feel it.

Now, as he stood in this odd, reinforced chamber, all Leo could think about was where his brothers were being kept and if they were okay. He figured that they might be in the same unit as he was, but the thought of them getting hurt or being experimented on by these lunatics didn't fail to cross his mind. And Master Splinter... their poor father must have already realized something had happened to them. It'd been almost 24 hours since he and his brothers were turtle-napped. They had never been gone that long without Splinter knowing where they were.

Leonardo put his concern aside for the moment and studied his white prison. No window, no ventilators. Just a large steel doorway, most likely locked from the outside and in. He tried turning the metal wheel to see if it'd open anyway, but no such luck existed for the trapped turtle. He only hoped that this room wasn't air-tight. But, seeing as he'd been here for a while now and wasn't experiencing dizzy spells or light-headedness, that didn't seem like the case. If they had wanted to kill them in any way, those men could've done it long ago.

Leo tried a few other things, like calling out to see if his brothers were nearby and could hear him. But with these thick walls, it was highly unlikely. He scanned the corners of the room for any hidden surveillance cameras, but there were none. His toes curled beneath the soft padding.

"No way out, huh?" Leonardo stared at the steel door, his eyes becoming focused. It'd been a while since he'd done this, but it was the only option left. He sat down, cross-legged, and concentrated. He was able to get through to Master Splinter a couple times before, but the extent of his ability to do so was limited. Worst case scenario, they were too far away to make any mental connection. And, as he silently meditated, that fearful revelation was becoming more true by the second.

'Please, sensei. Please hear me!'

**:::~~~:::~~~:::~~~:::~~~:::~~~:::**

Master Splinter held the piece of blue cloth in his delicate hands. Worry was etched into his features.

"And... this is all you found?"

"Yes, Master Splinter. There was no sign ov'em anywhere." Casey bowed his head in sympathy with him.

"We think something must have... well..." April was having a hard time stating the bare truth.

"I see." Splinter's brow furrowed. He had an instinct, that nagging parental instinct, that told him his sons were in trouble. But he didn't want to believe it. All four of them. In the clutches of some evil fiend, or perhaps trapped somewhere? Maybe they were injured and couldn't make their way home? Splinter had seen how mothers and fathers react when their children's well-being was at stake. This old rat was no exception.

"I thank you for your help, you two. There may be nothing more we can do for now. Please, let me reflect upon this predicament alone." Without waiting for their reply, Master Splinter shuffled over to his mat in the dojo area and sat, still holding Leonardo's headband. Casey was about to say something, but April stopped him and tugged at his shirt to leave with her. The vigilante didn't like leaving things like this, but knew that his wife was probably right, as usual. They slipped quietly out of the lair, letting Splinter meditate upon recent events.

"My sons. What has become of you?" He asked himself. The way his eldest son's headband was cut at the end... it didn't seem accidental. It was dirty and tattered. Something had coaxed Leonardo into fighting that night, but who? Or what?

Maybe there was a chance of reaching him.

Master Splinter closed his eyes, clenched the fabric in his paws, and focused his chi on Leonardo's aura that resided within the object. Hopefully, he would be able to lock onto the young ninja's spirit and contact him. With any luck, it would...

"_Father?"_

"!!"

"_Sensei, is that you?"_

"Leonardo?"

"_Sensei! I-"_

"?"

"_... We... Raph... just walking... … shadows... men... taken us to... don't know... … ..."_

"Leonardo? Leonardo!" Master Splinter tried desperately to hold the connection between them, but, like that blasted shell cell, the signal was lost.

The rat opened his eyes and calmed his breathing once more. His son was alive. But what of the others? Were they with him? Were they hurt? He was saying something about "shadows" and being "taken". When those two words are used in one sentence, it usually pointed to the Foot. He made a mental note to pay a little visit with them later. But, he knew he shouldn't be too rash about this. They could just as well be unaware of his sons' disappearance as the Purple Dragons were (since he'd already gone to have a talk with that brutish group). Nonetheless, it was worth checking out.

Splinter, with a reserved look of determination on his face, firmly grabbed his walking stick and made his way over to Donatello's work desk. He grabbed a few devices he might need while he was making inquiries about the turtles' absences. The shell cell, as much as he hated the fowl contraption, would be most useful if he needed to contact April and Casey for help or information. A few of the smoke bombs might come in handy, as well as that electronic headgear that Donatello used to find hidden traps within the hideout. He wasn't sure how to use it, but didn't think it would be too hard to figure out.

With his supplies at the ready and the lair's alarm set, Splinter left his home to bring back those who made him feel _at _home.

**:::~~~:::~~~:::~~~:::~~~:::~~~:::**

"Master Splinter? Master Splinter! Are you there?"

Leonardo couldn't feel his sensei's spirit anymore.

"No..." He clenched his fists. He was so close! But, as he'd thought, they must have been too far away to make a solid connection. Leo could only hope that his master had heard what he'd said.

The only thing left to do now what-

BZZZT

Leonardo whipped around to see what was making the noise. The area echoed so much that it was hard to pinpoint the location. But, in the corner of his eye, he saw something square and black being lowered down from the ceiling in the middle of the room. He ran over to where the object was and stopped midway.

It was... a television?

There was only snow for the moment. Not much later though, a picture was flickering its way onto the screen. Once it cleared, an image of a dark silhouette appeared. The person was back-lit, making the face impossible to see. A few seconds later, it spoke in a low, gruff voice.

"Hello there turtles. I hope you've enjoyed your long cat nap from New York to Raubtier Island."

He had a German accent like the guy on the plane. But this one was different. Older, Leo thought. More... ominous.

"You may be wondering what you're doing here and why. Well, you've been selected to be my next big game."

Game?

The shadowy figure seemed to lean forward in his chair as he went on.

"Since I know all about you, I think it's only fair that you learn a little about me. You could say I'm evening the odds a bit." He could hear that cruel smile in his voice. "My name is Jaeger Baldwin. I'm a large game hunter who loves large prey. I discovered you fascinating creatures a few months ago while tracking down a particular animal I'd been hunting for quite some time. It had made its way into the bay of New York city under some unknown circumstances. As I was tracking it, you four materialized out of nowhere, jumping across roofs and exhibiting the strangest behavior I had ever seen an animal take on. Imagine my surprise when I found out that you had the intelligence to speak! It was like nothing I had ever encountered during my hunts. That was when I changed my route. Compared to you four, all the other game seemed like mere trinkets. To have you placed over my mantle... that would be the ultimate prize worth having."

'What?! Did he say over his mantle?'

This didn't sound good.

Just as Leonardo was about to speak up, Jaeger intervened.

"In case you haven't figured it out yet, this is a one-way television unit. You can hear me, but I can't hear you. Probably a good thing considering what you might think of me now that you know the truth." The man chuckled.

Leonardo gathered the information he'd just been fed and tried making something out of it. So far, this guy was crazy. Most likely insane. But besides that, it was obvious that he and his brothers were in a lot of danger while on this island. From what he could understand through that heavy German accent, this man was planning to hunt them like wild animals! For sure now, the Foot and the Purple Dragons were totally out of the question.

"Now then, if you're wondering where the rest of your pack is..."

_Pack..._

"... no need to worry. They're in a similar enclosure like the one you're all in. As you can see, I haven't harmed you in any way. That's because I like my prey to be very much alive and energetic when I hunt."

'This man... he has lost all of his senses!' Leonardo's panic mode was hitting him full force. More than ever before, he feared for his life as well as his brothers'. Despite the steady tone of this Jaeger Baldwin's voice, Leo could tell how dangerous he was.

"Here's what will happen: I am going to open the door in the front of this enclosure. You four are on opposite sides of the island, so you won't be reforming right away. What awaits you outside is the natural environment that you belong in. After all, creatures like you being in a city; there is no sense in it!"

'Yeah, just like you.'

"I will give you 1 hour to get comfortable with your new habitat, and then... the hunt begins." Another shady form rose behind him. Something long and hissing...

Leonardo gulped involuntarily.

"Shall we?" The screen jolted, and then nothing. It went back into the hole in the ceiling, out of sight. The lights switched off, leaving the room pitch black once again.

"Shell..." Was all Leo could say at the time. He was still trying to process the directions Baldwin had given him. It was hard to believe that the only reason they were wanted here was to become part of someone's game of cat and mouse. Leonardo shook his head incredulously.

'Raphael must be steaming up a storm by now.'

KLANK

Another new sound, but the turtle was half expecting it.

Leonardo turned towards the door and a sudden heat wave hit him with urgency. He got closer to the exit and squinted to get used to the sunlight that was slowly creeping in.

Have you ever heard the familiar phrase "Don't walk towards the light!" Well this time, Leonardo didn't seem to have a choice.

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**AN:** HA HA WOW. That was exciting. We're finally getting down to the wire here. The hunt is on, and turtle soup is on the menu! :D

Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Look forward to the next one soon!

If you want to know more about our new villains, go to the first chapter and read their profiles. :)


	7. New Territory

**AN:** Hope this story isn't going too fast for anybody! When you're writing it, it feels like you've done so much. But then you read over it and it's like "wow this isn't really that long". I can only hope my imagery can stimulate yall's minds enough to where you get lost in the story and don't notice it's shortness? Whatever, lol! XD I don't even know what I'm talking about.

Anyway, here's chapter 7 of _The Game_. Enjoy!

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Chapter 7: New Territory

Jaeger turned off the intercom after he was done explaining "the game" to his prey and sat back in his chair, waiting. One more hour and he'd be living the life he'd always enjoyed. Abelinda had a hungry look in her eyes when she saw the giant turtles on screen, so he fed her another field mouse kept in his pack.

Behind him, his employee finally spoke up. "When we were bringing the turtles to their holdings, why is it that you had us only immobilize the one that wore the red bandana?"

Jaeger laughed and responded, "It is rather unfair, is it not? But, you see, from what I had observed of these creatures back in New York, that particular turtle was the most ruthless and fierce in the face of danger. I didn't want to take any chances with him if he happened to wake up during the transfer."

"Yet you didn't have us release him afterwards. What is your plan for that one?"

"Well, Slicer, I did say I wanted them to get used to their new habitat, yah? What better way to do so than having this one find a way out of a difficult situation with the resources mother nature has given us?"

To this, Slicer was very much pleased. He liked his boss's way of thinking.

"After all, if he's going to survive me, then he'll surely have to survive the jungle itself."

"Too true, Mr. Baldwin."

Jaeger, satisfied with himself, got ready to leave the control room, where he could monitor any and every part of the island, as well as the animals in it. He'd had a fortune spent on the equipment of this place, but it was all well worth it. Although, when it came to tracking, he'd never use those high tech gadgets to aid in his pursuit. The traditional search-and-find approach was always his favorite way of hunting. With that, the man filled his "utility" belt with extra rounds, a few film canisters of a light sedative, pens and pencils (you'd be surprised what simple things can be used to survive in the wild), antibiotic ointment, bandages, and a few handkerchiefs. He then hoisted his 2 ft rifle-and-dart-in-one gun over his shoulder. Slicer handed him the pack that held water and some other supplies that might be needed, but no food. Jaeger believed in surviving on what the jungle provides, especially on a hunt. If you want to find something that lives in the wild, then you have to adapt to it's territory in order to know where that something is. Become the animal. Giant turtles were a first for Jaeger, but seeing as they were more human than anything, there wasn't such a big difference between him and them. The hunt might be easier than he predicted.

"Abelinda, come." He strode out the door with his python trailing behind him. "Slicer, be sure to keep a close eye on their movements. I don't want them straying off the island. These **are** still turtles we're dealing with."

"Yes, I understand, sir." Slicer had considered the possibility that these creatures might be able to swim off the isle with no problem. But, given their size and homosapien forms, it's be much harder for them to do so before exhausting themselves. He doubted that escape tactic would work.

Slicer had almost forgotten something, and popped his head out of the room to yell at his boss, "What about the young Baldwin? What would you ask of him?"

Jaeger stopped and turned with a jolly smile on his face. "Ah yes, Marx. Tell him to start on the opposite side of the island. I'd like to see how he does on his own first."

"Yes, sir. I'm sure he'll be most appreciative."

The hunter's back disappeared behind the elevator's steel doors.

**:::~~~:::~~~:::~~~:::~~~:::~~~:::**

He smelled.

And not in a good way.

Selma had to turn her face away from man driving the boat in order to relieve her lungs of that awful stench. On a scale of 1 to10, this guy definitely took the cake. She wondered how many days it'd been since he had bathed. Being a seaman, the nurse imagined one would be subjected to all sorts of unsanitary environments. But, then again, he'd be around water 24/7...

'How _does_ he do it?'

Whenever the driver glanced back behind him to check on Selma, she would remove her hand from her nose and give him a small smile. She didn't want to offend the poor man. Perhaps he didn't have time to pencil in a shower because of his busy work schedule? Nonetheless, if even the rotting smell of fish wasn't able to overpower his scent, Selma questioned whether the man had ever used a shower in his life.

While one area of her five senses was being bombarded, the other four were enough to take her mind off the smelly situation. The sight of white waves lapping over each other, the sound of seagulls overhead, the feel of ocean spray glittering her skin; this was the sea, and there was nothing like it.

Jaeger adored earth's deep blue as much as she did. In fact, their fancy with the ocean and each other were often rivaled. This inadvertent love triangle was enough to tear them apart, which it had already done so, promptly. Selma took on nursing, and her older brother... still a mystery.

'I hope that, whatever his job is, it has left him better off than this guy.' She was referring to the boat's pungent driver, who had just reached behind him and scratched what looked like the Grand Canyon from Selma's point of view. She shivered.

All of a sudden, she couldn't wait to get back on dry land.

"Excuse me, sir? How much longer will it be?" She had to raise her voice over the searing sound of water being forced out from behind the boat.

He turned, a little surprised from her abrupt question. "Eh? Oh, we'll be there in about..." A quick look at the clock on the dash board. "... forty-five minutes."

"Forty-five minutes?" Her eyebrows rose.

"Yup! Hope you got that life jacket on good n' tight." He nodded to the bulky orange vest expectantly.

"Mm-hm." She nodded back, her smile a bit condescending. She wasn't pleased with what she'd just been told. Five minutes alone was too much for a woman to be tortured by this man's terrible odor, but forty-five?! She'd be dead by the time they reached the island. And the strong sea breeze wasn't helping with the problem in the least.

The urge for land inevitably grows.

**:::~~~:::~~~:::~~~:::~~~:::~~~:::**

"Hey! Come back here! I'm not finished wit' you!" Raphael yelled at the television screen retreating back into it's cubby in the ceiling. He growled. That Jagger Baldy guy, or whatever his name was, didn't know who he was messing with.

"I swear, if I get outta this, I'm gonna..."

Before he had time to finish his threat, the automatic wheel on the steel doors turned and shed some light into the darkness.

_In all darkness there can be light..._

Raphael's brief memory jog had left as soon as it had come as he was able to hoist himself into a sitting position. The light was intense, but not so much as the blinding white room he was in.

"Time to get the shell outta here."

As if afraid the doors would soon close again, Raphael scooted over towards the exit and outside into the fresh air.

The fresh jungle air.

…

"What the..."

It was a good thing the turtle was already flat on his butt, otherwise he would've fell back in shock at what he was witnessing. Strange looking plants, birds of which he'd never seen the likes of, trees that seemed to reach past forever!

This definitely wasn't New York city.

"Where... where am I?!" He asked, almost expecting Jaeger's deep voice to come on over the intercom again. But now, Raphael was all alone. Just him, and these damned ropes that tied together his ankles and wrists. How was he supposed to get out of this? He wasn't seriously expected to hop around like a jungle rabbit until his limbs were numb, was he?

'That guy said he was gonna hunt us, right? Well it ain't gonna be much of a hunt if I'm hog-tied for the rest of his little game.' The disgruntled ninja tugged at the restraints hopelessly. 'What am I sayin'? No whack-job's gonna hunt **me **down!" Raphael gritted his teeth. The fact that he was caught in the first place and taken to this god-forsaken place was irritating enough. He needed to find his brothers before that man got to them first. Were they in the same predicament he was in with these ropes? Most likely.

"You know, this is hardly a fair fight, ya crazy nut-job!" He knew no one had heard him, but yelling was the only way to release some of the rage he'd been feeling for the last few minutes. "Leo? Donny? Mikey? You guys here?" He called out, hoping that the island Jaeger said they were on was perhaps smaller than he imagined.

No such luck.

The only sound he heard were the tropical birds singing and crying out in the canopy above. Only a handful of sunlight filtered through the thick tops of the trees, but that didn't stop the temperature from shooting to the 90's and beyond. Raphael examined the enclosure he had just come out of and decided that it looked smaller from the outside. The exterior of it was disguised as a part of the 60 foot wall of dirt and roots it rested in. From below, he could see the edge of a higher level of jungle. It didn't look like there was a way of getting up there besides climbing, but he wasn't doing that anytime soon, obviously.

"Great. Now what?" Raph's sai were nowhere to be seen, and neither was his mask or anything that he previously had with him. It was now more than ever that he felt he'd been reduced to a lowly animal. An animal about to be hunted.

The turtle's head stayed down for a long while, his hands tight, but his breathing surprisingly calm. Whatever Raphael was thinking of, that stone-hard focus never faltered. Slowly, he let out a sigh, raised his head, and said to himself...

"I ain't so easily defeated."

His eyes glistening with ferocity, Raphael searched in every direction for something that could break him free of his restraints. Nothing stood out right away, but if he looked hard enough then there was bound to be _something_ useful on this island. No choice; he'd have to make his way through the jungle to find the necessities for his survival here.

Raphael awkwardly balanced himself on his feet and hands and began waddling through the maze of trees and brush. No one was around, so what was the point of getting embarrassed?

"Ya gotta do whatcha gotta do." The turtle resolved to himself.

Along the way, he looked for anything that had a point or a sharp end. It was more difficult than he thought. Nothing but flimsy plant life. Seeing as waddling wasn't getting him anywhere fast enough, Raphael started doing little hops. It was a synch since he'd been trained to have acute balance all his life.

"Dammit! This is the one time I wish Leo would use his swords on me." Raph's back was strained from the uncomfortable position he was in while hopping, so he shuffled over next to one of the many trees and leaned against it for support. He allowed himself a few seconds to catch his breath, letting the sweat roll off his brow. The muggy jungle atmosphere made it harder to take in air.

"Man! And I thought the sewers was a lousy place to live in." He pushed himself off of the tree, but didn't have a chance to take his seconds step as a sharp pain enveloped the bottom of his foot. "Ow! What the shell was that?!" Raphael lifted his right foot and saw the razor sharp edges of a particularly stiff palm leaf dangling from his sole. It was a good thing his feet were so calloused.

"Stupid leaf!" He tried shaking it off, but to no prevail. He then yanked the palm out of his foot and checked to make sure he wasn't bleeding. There wasn't any blood on the sharpened edges of the leaf so...

Wait.

Raphael inspected the leaf closely, then took one look at the ropes that bound him. He smirked.

"You, my little green friend, have given me an idea."

In no time, Raphael was able to saw through the ropes and free himself. In any other situation, he would've thrown the restraints as far away as possible, but this wasn't "any other situation". This bit of rope and the specific leaves he had cut them with could come in real handy during his stay on the island. He didn't have anywhere to keep his newfound supplies, so Raphael stuffed them into the upper part of his shell as much as he could (making sure to fold the sharpened leaf so it wouldn't hurt him). Maybe along the way he could fashion a pack out of jungle moss. Raphael laughed at the thought.

'Can't get too comfortable here. Don't wanna end up like Gilligan or somethin'.'

Without any clear idea of what he would do or where he was headed, the turtle trekked onward. First priority: find his brothers.

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**AN:** That's that for chapter 7! Hope it kept y'all interested. The next one will mainly be about Splinter breaking into the Foot clan's headquarters and trying to get answers on where his sons might be. I'll throw in a few POV's from the island near the end.

See you in chapter 8!

If you want to know more about my Ocs in this story, check out their profiles in the beginning of chapter 1!


	8. Knowing

**AN:** Okay, so we left off with the boys being set free into the jungle. Jaeger has given them an hour to get used to their environment, and then it's hunting time! Now, Splinter has decided to break into the Foot clan's headquarters and question them on the whereabouts of his sons. Will he make it in and out alive? You'll soon find out!

Here's chapter 8 of _The Game_.

**IMPORTANT NOTICE:** This fic takes place a year or two after April and Casey get married, but I'm making it so that Karai is still not on good terms with the turtles. Remember how she became buddies with them after a while and actually went to April and Casey's wedding? Well, pretend that didn't happen, lol. **Also, anything that's underlined in my Authoer's Notes area from now on is something that I would like everyone to read above all else. Thank you! :)**

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Chapter 8: Knowing

Some would say it was crazy to infiltrate a high tech, high security facility full of highly trained ninja in broad daylight, but that's exactly what the Foot clan thought too. Usually, it'd be sensible to break in during hours where not much activity was transpiring, but time was of the essence, and it was something Splinter could not spare. The rat was on a roof parallel to the Foot's base, which was disguised as an ordinary business building. Although he dearly wanted to smash through the windows and interrogate the first foot ninja he saw, patience would not allow him to. Splinter knew it wouldn't be easy getting in, much less getting out unharmed. It was a risk he was willing to take. His family meant more to him than the possibility of his own downfall.

Splinter took the grappling hook from his waist band and swung it around a few times before releasing it. The hook caught on one of the ledges sticking out from each row of windows and held tight. Tying his end of the rope to an external ventilation unit, he balanced himself on the thin piece of support and made his death-defying journey to the other side. It was a simple exercise for Splinter, but the height he was at was much more intense and the wind posed as a definite threat. There were so many small differences when facing an environment with new elements to take into consideration, and only so little time to adapt. Splinter's footing faltered once and his vision went in and out of focus for a brief moment, but it wasn't something he couldn't overcome. He righted himself, as composed as ever, and reached the ledge without further incident. He took a minute to let out the breath he'd been holding (which he had to do in order to steady his body while balancing) and moved on.

Instead of crashing through the window and announcing his arrival to a dozen or so foot ninja, Splinter reversed the rubber strap that was on his hands so that the suction cups attached to them were facing outward. After doing the same thing with the ones on his knees, the rat began climbing the tower of glass and stone. He made sure with each pop of the suction cups that there was no one who could see him in the windows he was climbing on. If there was, Splinter would side-step over to another column of windows that held rooms that were empty, and kept going. It seemed like it took forever to reach the top, but he finally made it. Checking the roof for guards, Splinter swung himself over the ledge and took off the suction cups, stowing them in the small pack tied to his waistband.

The next device he used were the goggles Donatello created. Splinter fiddled with the thing until it fit properly, and pressed the button that seemed to have the most importance: the red one. In a flash the screen in front of his eyes came to life, performing tasks which Splinter couldn't understand. He pressed another button that was yellow and watched as a mutiny of red lines were revealed on the roof's grounds. He then realized that these were the things that set off the security system. The rat would've been somewhat proud of himself for figuring out how to work one of Don's contraptions, but now wasn't the time. With jaw-dropping agility, Splinter leaped over each red barrier and landed on the other side breathlessly. The only thing left standing in the way of him and the information he sought were the over-sized wooden doors leading to the main hall of the Foot clan's leader, Mistress Karai. But, they may not have been the ones to kidnap them, nor may they know where his boys were.

'Words come before action.' He reminded himself.

He pushed through the doors...

No one was on duty in or around the room, so Splinter let himself in, making sure to stick to the shadows. He hid behind one of the many grand pillars that supported the hall and took off the goggles. There were no visible traps, yet that wasn't a good enough excuse for Splinter to let his guard down. The Shredder may be gone, but not his elite ninja. The rat kept along the wall and inched his way over to the back of the corridor where Karai's "throne" was. When he felt ready, Splinter jumped and rolled out into the middle of the room, taking a precautionary fighting stance in case anyone was there. But, upon close inspection, Splinter could detect no presence other than himself.

Perfect. The one time he wanted to confront with Foot ninja, and they weren't here.

Is wasn't too long after Splinter thought this that the double doors on the opposite end of the hall opened, letting in a disgruntled Karai. The woman looked up, but saw nothing. She headed over to her desk and sat, immediately going through some paperwork that lay strewn about her work area. She was irritated at a certain employee who was having trouble landing a deal for them with another top company. Therefore, she had to start the whole process over again and cozy up to them until an agreement was reached. It was grueling, but she wouldn't let the hard work and pride her father put into this business go to waste.

Karai was shuffling some papers together when she sensed movement behind her. Without expressing her awareness, she opened her drawer and pulled out a couple shuriken. In one flick of the wrist, she whirled around and released her weapons, which ended up hitting the wall. But the form that was once there leaped out of the way and landed to the right of her. Karai didn't give the intruder a chance to breathe as she lunged forward with two shuriken held firmly within her grasp, clashing with two others held by...

"You!" She recognized the giant rat easily.

"Please, cease in your attack! I have not come here to fight." He blocked a few more blows she had dealt.

"You and those turtles killed my father! Why should I trust what you say?" She pushed off from each other's weapons and tried knocking his feet out from under him, but that trick wouldn't work on Splinter. He flipped over the woman's head and caught her in a strangle hold with his cane.

"Because, if you do not, then we both might end up like each other's masters." Karai growled and grabbed the wooden stick, throwing the rat over her shoulder. Splinter landed in front of her, unharmed.

"Why are you here, rat?" She inquired bitterly, still in a position to fight.

"I did not come here to aggravate you or your ninja. I am simply here to ask you something that I must know."

Karai's eyes narrowed, but she said nothing.

Splinter took this as a sign to continue. "I know your hatred for us is deep, but, because you have felt loss like myself, I can only hope you will understand the troubles I am facing."

"And what troubles could you possibly have that you need break into my father's domain and address me as such?" Her stance relaxed.

He paused to think about what he was going to say. "... My sons, whom you so often call your enemies, are, I believe, in great peril. They have been missing for two days without informing me of their whereabouts. Something like this... has never happened before. My mind has been engraved with worry for too long now. That is why I am here: to ask you whether or not you know anything about this matter."

A short silence, and then Karai spoke. "Hmph. It is none of my concern where your sons are or are not." She walked back over to her desk and stopped before going around it to sit. "One can only guess you have come here to tell me this because you thought **I **had something to do with the disappearance of your sons? Don't think I haven't figured that out."

Splinter felt a bit of shame in the pit of his stomach. "I won't deny that I suspected the Foot to be likely coordinators of this incident, but that is why I am asking you with words instead of force." Splinter got down on one knee, holding his cane with both hands in front of him. "I beg of you, for the sake of a distressed father who wants nothing more than for his sons to be returned to him. Please."

Karai's face softened, but she hadn't moved from her spot. Splinter's bow was resolute. She could tell he wouldn't be moving from that kow-tow position until a response was heard.

He actually expected her to give an answer? It was ridiculous! She quietly examined the old rat. Here he was, lowering himself to her, an enemy, the daughter of Shredder, all for those four over-sized mutant turtles. Mercy wasn't something Karai kept in stock anymore, not after these creatures sapped such an act from her ever since...

"..."

The reason why he was here, why he had gone through so much to reach her, why he was bowing at her feet this very moment... She couldn't understand why he did the things he did or why he felt so strongly about this predicament.

… And yet, at the same time, she _could_... so completely...

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Leonardo had taken the first chance he got and left the white enclosure far behind. Jaeger had mentioned they were on an island of some sort, so the sudden change in habitat wasn't too big of a surprise. He couldn't stay in the safety of the confinement chamber since that's where Jaeger might first look for them. Hiding wasn't an option either. If this guy was as good a hunter as he was creepy, then there's no way Leo would be able to stay in the shadows for long. Not to mention, this wasn't New York. The only shadows in this jungle metropolis were the trees, but they _hardly_ made affective cover.

After fighting his way through clumps of brush and heavy plant life, Leonardo found what he was looking for. This tree was particularly tall compared to the rest. It would be the perfect crow's nest for him to get a fair idea of his location on the island. The turtle climbed all the way to the top without breaking a sweat and poked his head out above the canopy. The sky was every bit of blue New York's wasn't. (It's amazing how smog is able to change your very own sky-lighting). Not a cloud in sight except for along the horizon where a few tropical storms might be brewing. But besides that, the island was much bigger than Leo first thought. How it would be possible for Jaeger to find them in a place like this, he had no earthly idea. But that question was soon answered when he spotted a tall gleaming tower in the distance. It was higher than anything on this island, and there was no way it was a tree.

'Could that be... where Baldwin is? Maybe that's how he can track us down?'

It was a definite possibility; one that Leonardo wished _wasn't_ possible. How he was going to find his brothers was also a question that needed answering. Driving across this thing would probably take half a day! And the guy put them on opposite corners of the island? Leonardo's mind was fried.

'How in the world am I supposed to find my brothers in this... this jungle!' The ninja hopped down from the trees and rubbed his chin. 'I don't even know if I can trust Baldwin's words. He said my brothers are just fine, but... what's to say this man didn't used to be the cheating type in high school?' The thought that something had happened to his brothers made Leo sick. He had no clue what the self-proclaimed big game hunter had in store for them, and there were only 50 minutes left to find out.

"Looks like my only choice is to circle around the island. Hopefully, the guys will do the same." He remembered having a talk with Raph, Donny and Mikey about what they should do if anyone got separated from their group: set up a meeting spot familiar to all four of them. Unfortunately, they knew nothing about this island and what was on it, so the "familiar meeting spot" was a big challenge. Leonardo tried putting himself in his brothers' shells. This was something Splinter had told them to do multiple times during training. To know the next movement of your opponent, one must become the opponent. Well, his siblings weren't his opponents at the time, but maybe it'd work either way?

'Okay. Focus.' Leo closed his eyes and first concentrated on Raphael.

Being straightforward, and often times hot-headed, Raph would most likely react angrily to his current situation. But, along with fury, he would usually become frustrated and not be able to think clearly on what he must do. This, inevitably, leads to him storming off in whatever direction makes him feel comfortable enough until he can get a grip on his bearings. Needless to say, it'd be most difficult to locate him out of all Leo's brothers.

Then there's Michelangelo. Although he isn't the brightest crayon in the box, at least his youngest brother wouldn't be so stupid as to run blindly into the jungle without knowing what was out there. And yet, he wouldn't stay behind in his holding cell either for fear of Jaeger inspecting those areas first. The thing is, when you trap Mikey in a corner with only two options like that, there's no telling what he'd do next.

Lastly, Donatello. He and Leonardo were alike in the category of rational thinking. Leo didn't quite have the smarts that Donny possessed, but there's no doubt that he would analyze his situation before charging shell first into unknown territory. Like Leo, Donatello probably found a place that over-looked the island so he could get an idea of where he was. He also probably saw the massive fortress smack-dab in the middle of the mass of land. The one thing Leo couldn't guarantee was whether the brainiac would head towards the tower in hopes of settling this matter with Jaeger directly, whether he'd move as far away from his enclosure as possible (reducing the risk of discovery by the hunter), or whether he'd immediately start searching for his brothers so they could regroup once more and escape.

Either way, finding Donatello was Leo's best bet. Running into any of his brothers would be just as great, but, together, he and Donny could plan what they could do after finding the others. The only problem was that he didn't know what corner of the island his Einstein of a brother was on.

While Leonardo was swimming his way through the green sea of plants and trees, he came to a fork in the path. There wasn't an actual road laid out for him, but one side of his surroundings began slowly declining, while the other side stayed level.

_What is one's own path?_

Leo's mind reverted back to that of a few days ago.

_And, when you get there, how do you know which one to take?_

He grunted. This mental harassment is not what he needed right now.

_Especially if you have no idea where you're going to end up._

The two paths were mocking him, trying to cajole him into choosing one or the other. One of these directions could lead him to something helpful, while the other might not.

He didn't know.

…

"I don't think anybody could know."

And that was the answer.

Without flipping a coin or drawing straws, Leo took the path on his right, putting him on a steady slope downward. He didn't know where it would take him, but the same circumstances applied to the other path as well. It didn't matter which one he chose. His fate would show him where he needed to go, and that's all he had to know.

"I'm coming, guys."

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**AN:** The end of chapter 8! The next one will showcase more of Mikey and Donny's side. I've been ignoring them for too long now! Which means there will indefinitely be more humor and action goin' on. Look forward to it!

**BY THE WAY: ** I'm thinking about doing another TMNT fic after this one and I wanted to get yall's opinion on it. It's going to be about the turtles getting accidentally sucked into a parallel universe where they meet four mutant turtles like themselves, but all female. I KNOW, it's a cliché, overdone idea, but mine won't be, I promise. And, if you're as hooked into this story (The Game) as I think you are, then I believe you'll like my version of boy turtle meets girl turtle. I have confidence in my writing skills (as I hope you all do too), so you won't have to worry about it being too Mary-Sue or hokey or anything you think a fic like this would be. Please give it a chance, lol! :D

But I must warn you: I might not feel like writing another fic after this one. I have random moments of inspiration and writer's blocks, so yah. XD So we'll just have to wait and see if I actually go through with this idea!


	9. Lost

**AN:** There's been a serious lack of Donny and Mikey in this fic, but now is the time for that to change! This chapter will be mostly their point of view.

Enjoy! :)

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Chapter 9: Lost

"I DIDN'T EAT YOUR SLICE OF PIZZA, I SWEAR!!"

Michelangelo woke with a start. Brow sweating, eyes wide, and breathing rapid, the young turtle looked in all directions for his brother, Raphael, who was chasing him around not but a few moments ago. The realization that his worst fears had only been a nightmare made him sigh with relief. It was a good thing too. He'd already been pummeled once for doing such an act towards his hot tempered older sibling.

It wasn't too long until Mikey felt that there was something odd about his current state. The sky was... moving? And then there was that hungry rumbling noise coming from above him. Michelangelo cocked his head back and found a matching pair of eyes and whiskers to go along with the cat-like growling, followed by a sharp set of fangs that were clamped onto his left arm...

"Klunk?"

The ninja turned his body enough to see things right-side up again.

A jaguar's eyes flickered, locking onto Michelangelo's frightened ones.

"Y-you're definitely not Klunk!"

The large feline roared in his face.

"YAHHH!" Mikey let out a high-pitched squeal, yanking his arms out of the cat's jaws. It wasn't a very smart idea seeing as the razor-like teeth cut through his flesh like a warm blade through a stick of butter, but he ignored the pain and focused on getting as far away from his potential killer as soon as possible.

Michelangelo ran faster than he ever had in his life, even faster than when Raph was hot on his shell. This, however, didn't stop the jaguar from letting it's succulent, green meal from escaping.

'Oh man! This may be the only time I ever wish that Raph was doing the chasing instead!' Michelangelo picked up the pace, all the while trying to figure out his next plan of action. The jaguar had plenty of stamina to spare, but Mikey, having been injected with that drug earlier, was still out of sorts. There was no way he'd be able to keep this game of cat and mouse up for very long.

"C'mon Mikey! Think, THINK!!" The turtle leaped over some fallen trees and maneuvered his way around the harsh jungle terrain. His little feline friend didn't seem to be having any problem with these conditions.

"Okay. What did Klunk used to get distracted by?" He thought for a minute. "Let's see... a ball of yarn! No. That wouldn't work. Yarn doesn't grow in the jungle, does it? Well then, how about this?" He snatched a large leaf while running and turned to dangle the thing in the jaguar's face.

"Here kitty, kitty! Looky what I got!"

RAAAUURRRRRR!!!!

"Guess not!"

Mikey threw the leaf away and kept going. "That did NOT go well. Guess 'Fluffy' doesn't wanna play right now." He looked back at his pursuer and gulped when he got a glimpse of those pearly whites.

"Aw, come on! You don't wanna eat me. I'm too tough and full of carbs. And I certainly don't taste good, I don't think..." Michelangelo's attempt to quell the beast's hunger was in vain. If anything, his helpless cries only made the jaguar more intent on capturing him.

Although it had only been about a minute or two, Mikey was starting to get tired. The effects of the sedative were slow to wear off, his legs still feeling a bit numb. If he wasn't able to lose this cat soon, he'd become its next chew toy!

"I need a distraction, I need a distraction, I need a distraction, I need a distraction, I need a-"

CLAMP

GRAAAHHHOOOO!!

The turtle stopped in his tracks and carefully glanced behind him to see what the ruckus was about. At first, he thought the jaguar had gotten itself stuck in a hole or a ditch. The cat was desperately trying to remove it's paw from something, but he couldn't tell what.

"Phew! That was too close for comfort." Michelangelo wiped his forehead. Being the brother with the gift of agility had its advantages.

The feline's features were wrinkled in what looked like pain, which hinted that maybe this was more severe than just a simple pot hole.

"Huh?" Mikey moved to get a better view of what had preoccupied the jaguar's attention. This should have been the opportune moment for him to make a get away, but it seemed the distraction had affected him as well.

The creature's paw was lodged in between two steel rows of teeth, relentless in its hold. The bear trap was attached to a thick chain and bolted into the ground. No matter how hard the jaguar pulled and thrashed about, neither the paw nor the rusted metal steak was liable to budge.

"Woah! Good thing I missed that, or I would've been laid out on a platter for that thing!"

The fierce roars of frustration from the feline soon turned into helpless howls of sorrow. Michelangelo's conscience tugged at one of his heart strings.

"Aww, gee... I kinda feel sorry for the poor little guy, er, **big** little guy... I mean, it's not like he had it out for me personally. He's just hungry." Mikey inched closer to the trapped jaguar, but with caution. "Maybe I should help it? But what if it decides to turn on me in the last second?! Or it could be an elaborate scheme into making me think it's been caught, and then before I know it..."

The big cat let out a pathetic growl and licked the wounds caused by the bear trap.

Michelangelo's desire to help defenseless animals in need was at its breaking point.

"Don't worry, big guy! I'll help you out." He reached out to see if he could force open the jaws of that dreadful device, but the jaguar roared before he could get any closer. The turtle yelped and backed up, but he didn't run. "I'm not going to hurt you, I promise! Just let me try and help, okay? Then you can go back to chasing me, or whatever." Mikey waited until the jaguar calmed down once more, and went to work. He wedged his fingers inside the trap and used all his strength to pry it open. The thing barely moved.

"Hmm... This isn't going to work. I need something stronger." Michelangelo looked around for something with a more sturdy base. "That's it! Okay 'Mr. Jaguar', I'll be right back! Stay here." He took note of the position the feline was in. "Uh, although you might not have a choice." He laughed sheepishly and sprinted over to a neighboring tree. There, he climbed up the trunk, broke off one of the branches, and returned.

"Alright. Let's see if _this_ works." He held up the 3 foot rod of wood and stuck it in an opening of the jaws. He pushed down on the branch with as much force as he could, making the teeth grind into the bark. Michelangelo didn't know how long the branch would hold up, so he asked the Jaguar for a favor:

"Listen, dude! You gotta help me out here! Try pulling your paw out of the trap while I open it, okay? Otherwise, we'll never get you outta here!"

Although the cat couldn't fully understand what the giant turtle was jabbering about, it had enough sense that in order for it to be saved, it'd have to contribute.

Michelangelo kept pushing down on the branch, while the jaguar pulled away from the trap.

"Almost... got it..." Mikey kept his grip firm. Failure was not an option in his book!

The ninja received an unpleasant shock when the branch finally snapped into two pieces, one still stuck in the steel jaws of the infernal contraption. Mikey had fell backwards onto his shell, the other piece of wood still in his hands. He sat up and examined the splintered end of the branch.

Aw, man! And it was working so well too!" He then looked over at where the jaguar was trapped an noticed he wasn't there anymore. "Eh?" To his left, he heard a distinct purring sound. He turned to face the feline.

"Yipes!" He was a goner for sure now!

Or at least that's what he thought before the big cat started harassing his face with licks and nuzzles.

"Ah! Hey, hey! C-cut it out! Ha ha ha!" He laughed. In less than 10 minutes, Mikey's biggest problem had become his biggest playmate. "Wow! I should do this more often, yeah?" The jaguar rubbed its head against the turtle's shoulder in thanks and licked the slash marks on his arm where it had caught him with its teeth. The blood had mostly collected in the wounds, so there wasn't much of a mess to begin with.

"Aw, thanks dude! You know, you really do remind me of Klunk, once we get past the height, weight, and, uhh, man-eating predator issue." He scratched the big cat behind its ear. "But my question is, who would set a vicious trap like this? Someone could've really gotten hurt! Besides _you_, that is." They glared at the deadly device that nearly claimed the jaguar's paw.

"Well, whoever they are, that wasn't very nice of them. We better be careful from now on, okay Klunk Jr?"

The feline gave Michelangelo what seemed like a confused expression.

"Hope you don't mind me callin' you that. It's just that I have a cat at home named Klunk and... Hey! Don't give me that hungry look! Mini Klunk is NOT on the menu!" He swore the jaguar had licked it's chops. "Anyway, I need to find my brothers. You wouldn't have happened to see any other mutant turtles around here, have you? No giant, green afternoon snacks today?"

No response. Of course, he was talking to an animal here.

"Ah, nevermind. But just FYI, if you happened to eat a really cranky version of me, you're probably gonna have some tummy trouble later on." Mikey, without any idea where he was going, started walking off in one direction absentmindedly, Klunk Jr. following.

Unfortunately for him, this would be one pet Splinter might not agree to keeping.

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Donatello had quietly observed the man on the television screen who planned to hunt he and his brothers down. By the looks of it, he was German, from the east side most likely, but according to the different ornaments he was wearing, from woven hat to animal teeth ear piercings, the turtle could tell this guy had been around the world and back. And those scars on his face... it appeared that he might've had a few accidents while hunting particular prey. He guesstimated that the claw marks were probably from a large cat of some kind, maybe a lion or jaguar. If anything, this only proved one point:

Jaeger Baldwin was a **tough** player.

"He didn't look like the kind of guy who would give up any time soon, nor did he seem like a good sport when it comes to losing." Donatello had long since left the enclosure and began exploring this new and unknown habitat. Although there was a part of him that was terrified of his situation, the nerd inside him could not be extinguished. There were all kinds of foreign foliage around this jungle, and some of the animals he'd seen were interesting as well. The fact that the island was more than 50 miles wide made him even more excited to learn what else called home to this tropical paradise.

"Wow!" He studied a large red flower the size of his head that had a similar shape to a venus fly trap. "If my life wasn't in certain danger, I'd be setting up the new lair right here!" Donny was reassured that no harm had come to his brothers, but the worry still lingered. In approximately 30 minutes, he and his siblings would be the next targets of their newest enemy. The chances they could avoid this guy were slightly high considering the size of the island, but if that scar on Jaeger's face was indeed caused by a lion and he was still alive from it, then those percentages were pretty wimpy in comparison.

Donatello sighed. "The only way I'd have any hope of contacting the guys and getting off this island would be to head straight for that reception tower I saw earlier." He had done as Leonardo predicted and climbed a tree to see where he was. "Thing is, that Jaeger guy's base is probably around that location, which means he'll be starting from that point when the time comes. And that'll bring a world full of trouble for me." There were seldom moments where Don didn't have a game plan. This was one of those moments. The only brainstorm he could conjure up was the one where he made his way towards an impending death, namely Jaeger Baldwin.

"Oh well! It's not like all geniuses had a good first fun with their intellectually premature ideas, right?" Donatello scolded himself mentally for sounding so unconvincing. "It's not like I have a choice." He shrugged and turned facing northwest, navigating his way through the jungle and to his (hopefully not _final_) destination.

**:::~~~:::~~~:::~~~:::~~~:::~~~:::**

Abelinda hissed violently at a small bush baby, which in turn made the creature squeak and scamper off into the trees.

"Calm yourself, Abby! You'll have your fun soon enough." Jaeger chuckled. He had taken base outside the main entrance to his central headquarters and busied himself with inspecting the components of his gun. It was in his nature to double check his 'toys' before going out on a hunt. You could never be too careful with weaponry. Twice, the man had almost been shot by his own artillery because of sudden backfire. That was when he was younger and more inexperienced. Mistakes like that didn't exist on his hospital bills anymore.

Another reason he chose to sit outside was to get in touch with the environment before heading off. From his ears and eyes alone, Jaeger could predict the weather ahead, the nature of the animals, and which area he would have a most prosperous hunt. He had trained his senses all his life for times like these, earning him the name of the "Human Radar". Or, at least, that was the name his close associates had thought up.

"Sir, we have 25 minutes until it's time." Slicer came up behind his boss, standing as erect as one of the trees.

"Good. Abby here is getting restless." The snake coiled itself next to its master's feet. "And she's not the only one, you know." That same eery smile crept along his features; the last smile those turtles would ever see.

**:::~~~:::~~~:::~~~:::~~~:::~~~:::**

Back in New York, a disappointed sensei had returned to his home in the sewers only to end up with no new information about his sons. Karai had spoken the truth when she said she didn't know where the boys were, nor had she heard anything about them being turtle-napped. Although Splinter was relieved to find that she wasn't going to become his next greatest threat once again, having no knowledge about the disappearance of Leonardo, Raphael, Donatello, or Michelangelo weighed heavier on his soul. The only clue they had was the torn piece of his eldest son's eye mask, and that certainly wasn't a good enough lead.

"My sons... where have you gone?"

All Splinter had left to do was meditate, and maybe, by some miracle, he could get in contact with one of his sons again.

By some miracle, his boys would be found.

**:::~~~:::~~~:::~~~:::~~~:::~~~:::~~~:::~~~:::~~~:::~~~:::~~~:::~~~:::~~~:::~~~:::~~~:::~~~:::**

**AN:** And that's what's up with Donny and Mikey! If you haven't already figured it out, Michelangelo wasn't awake for the part where Jaeger explained their impending doom to them. XD He's gonna get a shell of a wake up call! But maybe his newfound furry friend will help him out? Donny is heading towards the middle of the island where Jaeger is, so wish him luck with that! Leo is traversing further along the outside of the island, and who knows what Raph's gonna do! Guess you'll have to wait and see in the next chapter!

I had a question in one of my reviews that asked if this took place **after** Leo's training in Central America, **before**, or if **it didn't happen at all**. I'm making it after the whole incident with Winters (since they hadn't met Karai before that movie), so yeah, Leo is gonna have a bit of an advantage since he's such a "jungle boy", according to Raph. ;)


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